Four of New York City mayor Eric Adams’ top aides reportedly confirmed their resignation Monday—the latest update in what for Adams has been a succession of overlapping scandals—leaving a power vacuum in the city’s government.
The news comes after the Justice Department on Feb. 10 ordered federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against Adams, stating that the case was interfering with the Democratic mayor’s ability to follow through with the president’s agenda to crack down on illegal immigration.
The charges were brought against Adams in September, tracking crimes back to 2014, when he was the Brooklyn borough president.
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The four senior aides who resigned—first deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, and deputy mayors Meera Joshi, Anne Williams-Isom, and Chauncey Parker—did so as calls for Gov. Kathy Hochul to remove Adams—or for Adams himself to step down—grow.
Their actions follow the resignation of U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon and five high-ranking Justice Department officials last week after Sassoon refused to drop the charges against Adams.
In a statement to NBC New York, the mayor’s office confirmed the resignation, stating that the deputies are “extraordinary public servants who have been vital to our work reshaping New York City.”
The statement continued: “Together, we’ve broken housing records, created the most jobs in the city’s history, provided for hundreds of thousands of longtime New Yorkers and migrants, built unprecedented public spaces, and made our city safer at every level. New Yorkers owe them an enormous debt of gratitude for their service to our city.”
NBC also reported that Adams attempted to convince the aides to stay on a Zoom call over the weekend, though they ultimately decided to follow through with their resignations.
Joshi, who worked as Deputy Mayor of Operations, reportedly sent a joint statement on behalf of the deputies in an email to agency commissioners.
“Due to the extraordinary events of the last few weeks and to stay faithful to the oaths we swore to New Yorkers and our families, we have come to the difficult decision to step down from our roles,” the statement read.
TIME has reached out to the Mayor’s office for comment.
