With under two weeks to go before he’s sworn in, New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has not announced many hires for his administration. One of the few that he has announced was forced to almost immediately resign Thursday after her past antisemitic tweets came to light.
Catherine Almonte Da Costa, whom Mamdani named his director of appointments just on Wednesday, in 2011 tweeted about “money-hungry Jews” and other similar comments, in posts first reported by The Judge Street Journal, a newsletter about New York politics.
In a statement, Da Costa said, “I spoke with the Mayor-elect this afternoon, apologized, and expressed my deep regret for my past statements. These statements are not indicative of who I am. As the mother of Jewish children, I feel a profound sense of sadness and remorse at the harm these words have caused. As this has become a distraction from the work at hand, I have offered my resignation.”
Mamdani’s transition also provided a statement from the mayor-elect: “Catherine expressed her deep remorse over her past statements and tendered her resignation, and I accepted.”
Several New York political insiders told CNN that they questioned the incoming administration’s vetting process, given that she was picked despite tweets that were revealed so quickly after her announced hire.
Mamdani has so far named only one deputy mayor and no commissioners other than retaining current Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Beyond the delays themselves was the latest in Mamdani’s struggles to convince key leaders of the city’s Jewish population that he is not overlooking or fostering antisemitism.
Mamdani, who will become the city’s first Muslim mayor, is a fierce critic of Israel while also vowing to fight antisemitism. But he has faced questions about his initial refusal to disavow chants like “globalize the intifada” or his statement criticizing a synagogue after a protest outside of it.
Da Costa would have been in charge of other hires in the incoming Mamdani administration. A Dominican immigrant who grew up in Queens, Da Costa has worked in government for years and previously served in former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration in his office of appointments.
“Obviously, I would strongly disagree with those statements. I think I’ve been very clear on my views on that,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who represents parts of Brooklyn and held off for months in endorsing Mamdani in part because of concerns about the incoming mayor’s approach to antisemitism, told CNN on Thursday afternoon.
Jeffries added he’d have more to say after reviewing the story.
The Anti-Defamation League’s New York/New Jersey chapter, which highlighted Da Costa’s old tweets, said her posts “echo classic antisemitic tropes and otherwise demean Jewish people.
“Tweeting about ‘Money hungry Jews’ is indefensible,” the ADL chapter said on X.
Dovere reported from Washington.
