The top City Hall attorney to New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned late Saturday, as the mayor and his administration are facing growing scandals and a flurry of federal investigations.
Adams’ staff announced the departure of Lisa Zornberg without any explanation. She had advised Adams and other city officials on legal strategy for over a year, but did not serve as his personal lawyer.
In a brief statement, Zornberg said she is “deeply grateful to Mayor Adams for giving me the opportunity to serve the city, and I strongly support the work he has done and continues to do for New Yorkers.”
In a resignation letter to Adams, Zornberg wrote, “It has been a great honor to serve the City. 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.”
Her departure comes days after the phones of multiple members of the Mayor’s inner circle were seized by federal investigators, including police commissioner, Edward A. Caban, who resigned Thursday. Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office, wasn’t one of the officials who had their phones seized.
In addition to Caban, a phone was seized from his twin brother, James Caban, and several aides. Phones were also taken from the head of the public schools system, a top deputy mayor, and two top advisers to Adams on public safety issues.
While the investigations are underway, the mayor has denied any wrongdoing and has said the inquiries will show he did not commit any misconduct.
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On Saturday, Adams said in a statement: “We appreciate all the work Lisa has done for our administration and, more importantly, the city over the past 13 months. 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.”
He said an interim replacement for Zornberg would be announced in the coming days.
