New York City Hall’s chief legal counsel Lisa Zornberg, who has defended Mayor Eric Adams amid several federal probes, resigned late Saturday after the police commissioner stepped down from his post in the wake of federal raids targeting cops and top mayoral aides.
Zornberg’s announcement of her sudden departure came just before 11 p.m. Saturday. Few details have been provided about her decision, but it’s likely related to the four federal investigations in which the Adams administration is embroiled. A former senior Manhattan federal prosecutor, Zornberg served as the mayor’s chief counsel since July 2023.
“It has been a great honor to serve the city,” she wrote in a letter to the mayor. “I am tendering my resignation, effective today, as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position. I wish you nothing but the best.”
Zornberg used her legal expertise to defend Adams at his weekly news conferences, where top officials answered questions about the ongoing federal investigations.
The abrupt resignation allows little time for transitioning to a new counsel. Adams said an acting chief counsel will be named “in the coming days.”
“We appreciate all the work Lisa has done for our administration and, more importantly, the city over the past 13 months,” the Democratic mayor said. “These are hard jobs and we don’t expect anyone to stay in them forever. We wish Lisa all the best in her future endeavors.”
New York Police Department commissioner Edward Caban announced his resignation at City Hall’s request on Thursday, a little more than a week after his phone was seized as part of a federal investigation into possible corruption.
The investigation reportedly involves the alleged influence-peddling activities of Caban’s twin brother, James, a former police officer who owns a nightclub security business. Federal investigators seized the phones of several New York City officials, including the two brothers, to determine whether James’s business benefited from his ties to Edward and the NYPD.
At least four aides to Adams had their phones confiscated as well, possibly relating to other potential crimes. Those officials are as follows: first deputy mayor Sheena Wright, schools chancellor David Banks, public-safety deputy mayor Philip Banks III, and senior mayoral adviser Timothy Pearson.
No one, including the former police commissioner, has been accused of any wrongdoing. However, the federal raids are the latest incident to spur questions about Adams’s ability to run New York City.
Serving the NYPD for over 30 years, Caban became the first Latino commissioner in July 2023. His tenure as commissioner was shorter than that of his predecessor, Keechant Sewell, who resigned after 18 months.
Shortly after Caban stepped aside, Adams announced former FBI official Tom Donlon as the interim NYPD commissioner. Donlon, who has decades of experience in domestic and foreign counterterrorism, is the third NYPD commissioner to be appointed in less than three years.