Eric Adams' top aide resigns amid federal investigation

This Sunday, a key figure on New York Mayor Eric Adams's team resigned amid a federal investigation linking him to corruption and bribery allegations.

Ingrid Lewis Martin, a senior adviser to Adams, announced her departure effective immediately amid the Democratic mayor's five criminal charges related to the alleged receipt of up to $10 million obtained from foreign businessmen and at least one Turkish government official.

In a statement, Martin expressed gratitude to Adams, with whom she has worked since 2004, when he ran his first state Senate campaign. "To my political partner, brother, and friend, Mayor Eric Adams: I thank you for seeking me out, way back in 2004, and asking me to run your Senate campaign. I thank you for seeing in me things that I did not see in myself," she said, calling their journey together "an incredible journey."

Martin, 63, said her departure was due to her decision to retire and spend more time with her family. However, her resignation comes a few months after authorities searched her home and seized her electronic devices. This is another blow to Adams' team, which has faced multiple resignations since his administration became embroiled in a bribery scheme.

Adams reacts

Adams mourned her departure, noting her role as a friend and trusted adviser. "Ingrid has not been just a friend, a confidant, and trusted adviser, but also a sister. We’ve always talked about when this day would come, and while we’ve long planned for it, it is still hard to know that Ingrid won’t be right next door every day," the mayor said.

Decades of friendship

The relationship between the mayor and his former adviser began in the 1980s when Martin's husband met Eric Adams in the police academy. Active in Brooklyn politics, Martin became a key figure for Adams in 2006, when he decided to run for state Senate and asked her for support in leading his campaign. Since then, she has been his chief strategist, helping him at every stage of his career, from the state legislature to his Brooklyn borough presidency and, ultimately, as mayor of New York.