Mayor Eric Adams pushed back Tuesday on reports that he’s seeking the resignation of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. At the same time, he refrained from expressing confidence in Caban’s ability to lead the country’s largest police force after federal agents seized his phones last week as part of an investigation.
“If there’s a change of personnel in the city, we’re going to do what we’ve always have done — we announce it,” said Adams, sounding hoarse during a virtual press conference he held while recovering from COVID. “And if someone decides to go on with another aspect of their lives, we will announce that as well,” he added.
He said he spoke with Caban on Monday but would not discuss their private conversation.
Tuesday was the first weekly press conference Adams held since the latest spate of law enforcement searches and seizures targeting not only the police commissioner, but also several top aides in Adams’ inner circle, including First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Schools Chancellor David Banks and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks.
The police commissioner and top mayoral aides appear to be facing distinct investigations, and no one in the administration, including Adams, has been accused of wrongdoing. But the flurry of activity involving some of the city’s highest officials has prompted a crisis at City Hall, with elected officials and critics of the mayor expressing concern about the administration’s ability to effectively manage the city.
The scope of the investigations involving the police commissioner and others targeted last week is unclear, but a source familiar with them told Gothamist they are separate from an ongoing investigation into the mayor’s 2021 fundraising. The commissioner’s brother James Caban, who works as a consultant in the nightlife industry, was also served a search warrant, according to a law enforcement official.
Caban was scheduled to appear at Wednesday’s memorial ceremony for the 9/11 terror attacks. NYPD spokesperson Tarik Sheppard said that as of late Tuesday, the commissioner would attend as planned.
Speaking to Gothamist, he added that “the police commissioner can change his schedule anytime he wants to.”
Adams began his remarks on Tuesday by trying to reassure New Yorkers that he was not distracted from his job as mayor, an acknowledgement that the swirling investigations have raised concerns about his administration.
“There are some serious matters that must be addressed. I was surprised as you, to learn of these inquiries, and I take them extremely seriously,” he said, before adding, “Let me be clear, I and this administration are focused on New Yorkers, not investigators.”
Wright, who joins the mayor at his weekly briefings, told reporters she was committed to performing her duties and that she was “cooperating fully” with investigators. “I am confident that I’ve done nothing wrong,” she added.
Adams is facing what is shaping up to be a competitive primary next year, with three Democrats already announcing their intention to run. When asked on Tuesday if he would resign if charged with a crime, Adams said he was “committed to completing” his term as mayor as well as running for re-election.
He said he would not “deal with hypotheticals.”