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On Sunday, New York City Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks announced his resignation, becoming the city’s sixth major official to resign within the last four weeks as a growing scandal plagues Mayor Eric Adams (D-N.Y.).
As Politico reports, Banks’ home was raided by federal investigators in September as part of a broader investigation. The raid targeting Banks appears to be a separate matter from the ongoing investigation into Mayor Adams, who was indicted recently by a grand jury for bribery, wire fraud, and other corruption charges. Both before and since the indictment, numerous officials have resigned from Adams’ office, in a sign that the reach of the scandal is far greater than previously believed.
Adams issued a statement on Monday following Banks’ resignation.
“He reached out to me and stated, ‘Eric, I’m looking to move on, and this is a good time to do so,’” said Adams. “And actually, a couple of months ago, he sat down with me around about six months ago, and stated that, ‘Look, I’m looking to transition, Eric.’ And I said, ‘Listen, we got a couple of things in the pipeline. Can you please hold on and get them done?’ And he was willing to do that. I appreciate him for that.”
Although federal investigators have not confirmed the nature of the possible charges against Banks, it appears to be tied to claims that his brother, Terence Banks, illegally lobbied Banks for firms that were pursuing city contracts.
Another of Banks’ brothers, David Banks, also had his home raided by federal agents on the same day. David Banks, the chancellor of the city’s schools, announced his intentions to step down as well.
Governor Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) issued a statement demanding that Adams put pressure on more of his administration’s officials to own up to their wrongdoings, saying that he needed to “instill the confidence that is wavering right now.” As Governor of New York, Hochul has the authority to unilaterally remove Adams from office if she sees it fit to do so.
Adams had previously announced his intention to run for re-election next year, although his campaign is now in doubt following the allegations. Numerous prominent Democrats have begun considering campaigns for Mayor of New York City in 2025, including disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.).
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