Before news of the charges came out, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) urged Adams to resign in a social media post.
“I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City. The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening gov function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X.
“For the good of the city, he should resign,” she added.
In an emailed statement, Adams said that Ocasio-Cortez’s push for him to resign is due to “rumors and innuendo.”
“For anyone who self-righteously claims people charged with serious crimes should not be in jail to now say that the second Black mayor of New York should resign because of rumors and innuendo — without even a single charge being filed — is the height of hypocrisy,” he said in the statement.
“I am leading this city to protect it from exactly that kind of phony politics. The people of this city elected me to fight for them, and I will stay and fight no matter what,” he added.