NYC mayor won't say if he backs police commissioner under an investigative cloud

NEW YORK -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams declined to say Tuesday if he remained confident in the city's police commissioner, days after federal agents seized the cellphones of the head of the police department and at least four other high-ranking mayoral deputies.

In his first news conference since the whirlwind of seizures, Adams — whose own devices were taken by FBI agents in November — acknowledged that the sudden increase in federal scrutiny had “raised a lot of questions and a lot of concerns.” He then deflected questions about whether he planned to remove the police commissioner, Edward Caban, amid a series of news reports claiming Caban is under pressure to resign.

“I have the utmost confidence in the New York City Police Department,” Adams said when asked if he remained confident in Caban's leadership, noting that if there are any changes, his administration would announce them.

Quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19 on Monday, Adams spoke to reporters online for more than an hour, striking a sober and cautious tone as he sidestepped questions about how many members of his administration had been contacted by federal agents or if anyone would be stripped of their duties.

He also declined to say whether Caban had been barred from communicating with federal law enforcement agencies, which work in close cooperation with the nation's largest police department.

Instead, Adams spoke at length about his background as a child of working class parents who rose to become a New York City police captain, noting: “My entire life has been pursuit of justice and this administration will continue to do that no matter what happens."

The comments came six days after federal investigators seized devices from Caban, as well Adams’ first deputy mayor, Sheena Wright; her partner and the city’s schools chancellor, David Banks; the deputy mayor for public safety, Philip Banks, who is Banks’ brother; and Timothy Pearson, one of the mayor’s closest confidants.

Wright, who attended Tuesday’s virtual briefing, said she was “cooperating fully” with the investigation.

The agents also seized devices from Terence Banks, the youngest of the three Banks brothers, who runs a private consultancy that represents companies with business before the city. Federal authorities are also investigating the police commissioner’s twin brother, James Caban, who runs a nightclub security business, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Asked about his relationship to the two men on Tuesday, Adams said he had been close to the entire Banks family for years, but had never met with Terence Banks to discuss city business. He said he does not know James Caban well.

“We exchange pleasantries when we see each other, as I do with everyone,” the mayor said.

An attorney for Terence Banks has confirmed his home was searched by the FBI, but would not comment further. Phone calls to a number listed for James Caban were not returned.

The most recent seizures appear to be separate from the investigation that led federal agents to take the mayor’s phones in November, which centered at least in part on an inquiry seeking information about the mayor’s overseas travel and potential connections to the Turkish government, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigations.

No one has been accused of a crime in connection with any of the federal investigations. Both the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which is leading some of the investigations, have declined to comment.

In February, federal agents searched the home of Adams’ director of Asian Affairs, Winnie Greco, as part of a separate investigation overseen by the Brooklyn U.S. attorney’s office.

The mayor’s former buildings commissioner, Eric Ulrich, is also facing state charges for allegedly accepting bribes, while several people who contributed to the mayor’s campaign were charged in a straw-donor scheme last year.

Adams, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, declined to say if he would step aside if he's charged with a crime. Instead, he said, “I am committed to completing my term as the mayor of the city of New York and running for reelection."

He then invoked the upcoming anniversary of Sept. 11, pointing to the “grit, grind, and attitude” of New Yorkers in the aftermath of the attacks.

“That’s who I am,” Adams said. “I am a resilient New Yorker.”