With Eric Adams refusing to resign, who is calling for him to be removed from office?

After Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges in September, dozens of elected officials called for his resignation. But the mayor refused to step down and largely weathered the storm, partly by ditching his most controversial aides.

When the U.S. Department of Justice ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to drop the corruption case against Adams nearly five months later, Adams treated it as vindication – but calls for his resignation only grew louder as his opponents suggested that he had cut a corrupt deal with President Donald Trump.

On Feb. 13, interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon resigned her post rather than comply with the DOJ’s instruction to drop the charges. In a bombshell letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Sassoon wrote that federal prosecutors had been preparing to bring additional charges against Adams for allegedly destroying evidence and instructing witnesses to lie to the FBI. She also claimed that “Adams’ attorneys repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo,” agreeing to cooperate with the president’s immigration enforcement agenda only if the criminal charges against him were dropped.

In the aftermath of Sassoon’s shocking resignation, even more New York elected officials – including, for the first time, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado – called for Adams’ resignation. Some went even further, calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to use her powers under the city charter and state constitution to remove Adams from office. Others have called on Adams to be removed, but stopped short of calling the governor out explicitly. Adams could also theoretically be removed by a so-called “inability committee” at the city level, which would consist of City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, city Comptroller Brad Lander (who himself is running for mayor), city Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. and a deputy mayor.

Prior to Sassoon’s resignation, the governor repeatedly said that she did not feel comfortable removing a democratically-elected mayor, especially since New York City voters will have the chance to pick a new Democratic nominee for mayor in June. Following Sassoon’s resignation, though, the governor was more noncommittal when asked about removing Adams. “The allegations are extremely concerning and serious, but I cannot, as the governor of this state, have a knee-jerk, politically motivated reaction, like a lot of people are saying right now,” Hochul said during an MSNBC appearance on Feb. 13. “I have to do it smart, what’s right, and I’m consulting with other leaders in government at this time.”

On Feb. 17, the Adams administration lost four top officials, with First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and Deputy Mayors Meera Joshi, Anne Williams-Isom and Chauncey Parker all submitting their resignations. After speaking with Torres-Springer, Hochul said in a statement that the deputy mayors’ decision to resign “raises serious questions about the long-term future of this Mayoral administration.”

The governor’s statement also acknowledged the possibility of removing Adams from office. “I recognize the immense responsibility I hold as governor and the constitutional powers granted to this office. In the 235 years of New York State history, these powers have never been utilized to remove a duly-elected mayor; overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly,” Hochul said in the statement. “That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.”

Meanwhile, Lander sent a letter to the mayor threatening to convene the inability committee unless Adams could come up with a “contingency plan” to appoint new interim deputy mayors and stabilize the situation in City Hall. “In the absence of a contingency plan, the resignation of four or more deputy mayors, and the chaos created by the Justice Department’s actions regarding indictments against you, may well constitute inability to govern. Should your office be unable or unwilling to formulate such a plan promptly, I will seek to convene a meeting of the Inability Committee,” Lander wrote.

Since the DOJ moved to drop the charges, three congressional representatives, 17 state legislators and four City Council members have publicly called for Adams to be removed from office. Check out the full list below. This article was last updated on Feb. 19, 2025.

CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: The progressive standard-bearer was one of the first elected officials to call on Adams to be removed from office. “Adams must be removed. The city cannot sustain being governed for nearly a year by a Mayor who is being coerced by Trump admin in order to escape charges. This corruption poses a real threat to the people of the city. He should have resigned a while ago, but will not. So it’s time for him to go,” she wrote in a post on Bluesky on Feb. 13.

Laura Gillen: “Over the past year, I've repeatedly called for Mayor Adams to do the right thing and resign, but if he won't step aside, the Governor needs to act in the best interests of New Yorkers and remove him from his role,” the moderate Long Island congressional representative said in a statement on Feb. 18.

Jerry Nadler: “We cannot have a compromised Mayor who is beholden to the President. … I reiterate my call for Mayor Adams to resign or be removed from office,” the progressive congressional representative said in a statement on Feb. 18.

STATE SENATORS

Michael Gianaris: The deputy state Senate majority leader called for Adams to be removed from office if he does not voluntarily resign. “The last thing the people of New York want is for our city to turn into an annex of the Trump administration, yet that's exactly what is happening. Eric Adams is clearly compromised and can no longer be considered the legitimate leader of our city. He must step down or be removed,” Gianaris wrote in a post on X on Feb. 14.

Jessica Ramos: “Today's news made it clear that Mayor Adams now works for Donald Trump, not New Yorkers. So much of Trump's agenda would hurt New Yorkers. We won't be safe until Gov. Hochul uses her power to remove Eric Adams from office. We like puppets on Sesame Street, not City Hall,” the progressive state senator and mayoral candidate wrote in a post on X on Feb. 13.

Jabari Brisport: In a post on X on Feb. 13, the socialist state senator updated his call from September for Adams’ to resign: “Eric Adams should resign or be removed.” 

Julia Salazar: “My position on the mayor continuing to hold public office hasn't changed since calling for him to step down in September. Mayor Adams should resign. If he won't, he should lawfully be removed from office,” the socialist state senator wrote in a post on X on Feb. 14.

John Liu: “Mayor Adams has forgotten that NYC has always been the international capital of the world, built and strengthened by citizens of the world. Given that he has badly betrayed the people of New York, he must step down. If not, we need Governor Hochul to remove him to save our city,” the progressive state senator wrote in a post on X on Feb. 14, hours after making a similar statement during a a rally outside City Hall.

Kristen Gonzalez: “I want to be so incredibly clear: Mayor Adams, you must resign!” the socialist state senator said during a rally outside City Hall on Feb. 14. “If you will not do what’s right, if you will not put the needs of New Yorkers ahead of your own, then you need to be removed.”

Liz Krueger: “As I have said since the first federal charges were announced, Mayor Adams should resign, and if he does not, he should be removed by the governor,” the state senator wrote in a post on X on Feb. 18.

Gustavo Rivera: The progressive state senator pushed back after a group of eight Black state lawmakers sent a letter to Hochul warning her not to remove Adams. “With all due respect to my colleagues, they are dead wrong on this. What ‘consistency’ are y’all speaking about? Most of his senior leadership resigned rather than continue helping his disgraceful administration. Nope. He MUST resign or be removed,” Rivera wrote in a post on X on Feb. 19.

ASSEMBLY MEMBERS:

Zohran Mamdani: The socialist Assembly member and mayoral candidate got right to the point in a post on Bluesky on Feb. 13: “Governor Hochul should remove Eric Adams from office.”

Claire Valdez: “New York City is not safe with Eric Adams as mayor. He should resign or be removed from office,” the socialist Assembly member wrote in a post on Bluesky on Feb. 13. 

Sarahana Shrestha: The socialist Assembly member promoted Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado’s call Adams to resign and suggested that Hochul should remove him if he did not. “I agree with the Lt. Governor. Eric Adams should resign or be removed,” Shrestha wrote in a post on Bluesky on Feb. 13. 

Emily Gallagher: “NYers deserve better. If he won’t step down, he should be removed,” the socialist Assembly member wrote of Adams in a post on Bluesky on Feb. 13.

Jessica González-Rojas: “Enough is enough already. He does not represent our city’s values anymore and is a corrupt mayor beholden to a corrupt president. He must resign or be removed,” the socialist Assembly member said in a statement on Feb. 14.

Tony Simone: “The Governor must remove Eric Adams as Mayor. Our city government has been compromised by a corrupt administration and a mayor whose top priority is avoiding jail time. Every day he remains in office, is another day Trump pulls the strings in NYC. This must not go on any longer,” the Assembly member wrote in a post on Bluesky on Feb. 14.

Harvey Epstein: “There is a crisis of confidence in Adams - not just from us New Yorkers, but even from his own appointees. He must resign or be removed,” the Assembly member and City Council candidate wrote in a post on X on Feb. 17.

Phara Souffrant-Forrest: “I am now calling on Governor Hochul to remove Mayor Adams from power against his will if necessary. NYC is an economic and cultural powerhouse critical to the wellbeing of the entire state. The Governor cannot allow this chaos to consume the city. She must stop this and restore order,” the socialist Assembly member wrote in a post on Bluesky on Feb. 17.

Robert Carroll: “Eric Adams must resign immediately or @GovKathyHochul must remove him from office. No time can be wasted. Any delay would be a slap in the face of every single resident of NYC. The fate of NYC depends on it,” the Assembly member wrote in a post on X on Feb. 17.

BOROUGH PRESIDENTS

Antonio Reynoso: “It's very simple: Mayor Adams has put this city and all of our people in jeopardy to save himself. Governor Hochul must end this chaos and remove Eric Adams – now,” the Brooklyn borough president wrote in a post on X on Feb. 14.

CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS

Tiffany Cabán: The socialist City Council member called on Hochul to remove Adams and added that if the governor does not do so, then the Committee on Mayoral Inability should convene and remove him from office. “Haven’t we seen enough? Corrupt & compromised. This Mayor needs to be removed. It’s past time for Governor Hochul to step in here. And if she won’t, the city’s Committee on Mayoral Inability should. Enough is enough. New York deserve better & shouldn’t have to wait any longer,” Cabán wrote in a post on Bluesky on Feb. 13.

Shahana Hanif: The progressive City Council member called on Adams to be removed following his appearance on Fox & Friends alongside Trump’s border czar Tom Homan. “If it wasn’t clear four months ago, it’s undeniable now. Mayor Adams is unfit to lead. He’s acting as an extension of the Trump administration’s attacks. As NYC’s Mayor, he should prioritize the needs of the people. It’s time for him to resign, & if he won’t, he must be removed,” Hanif wrote in a post on X on Feb. 14.

Lincoln Restler: “The Mayor of New York City has sold out New Yorkers to do Trump’s bidding. As I said 4 months ago - for the good of our city - he must resign. And if he fails to resign - he must be removed. Especially with the chaos in Washington - we need a Mayor fighting for us,” the progressive City Council member wrote in a post on X on Feb. 14.

Erik Bottcher: In a text message to City & State, the Council member confirmed that he is calling for Adams to be removed from office if he does not resign.

OTHERS

Whitney Tilson: In a post on X on Feb. 13, the Democratic donor-turned-mayoral candidate referenced the recent claims that Sassoon had made and called for Hochul to remove him from office: “It is time for @GovKathyHochul to remove @ericadamsfornyc from office. Today's bombshell release from the former US Attorney exposes a shocking level of criminality. When you take the oath of office, you swear to serve the people of New York City. It's clear that Eric Adams is hopelessly compromised and should not serve another day as mayor.”

Michael Blake: The mayoral candidate and former Assembly member – who has taken to referring to Adams as “Vice President Eric Adams” to emphasize the mayor’s alignment with President Donald Trump – created a Change.org petition calling on Hochul to remove Adams from office. “Vice President Eric Adams is a compromised asset who embodies Corruption. Eric has to go! Sign our petition,” Blake wrote in a Feb. 13 post on X.

Scott Stringer: The mayoral candidate and former city comptroller sent a letter to Hochul on Feb. 18 calling on her to remove Adams from office. “It has been reported that you are considering using your authority to remove (Adams). As a lifelong New Yorker who loves this city and wants the best for it – as you do – I urge you to take this step. The future of our city and New Yorkers’ faith in our government depends on it,” Stringer wrote in the letter.