Timothy Pearson, who has since resigned, also let NYPD officers think he was still with the police force, the Department of Investigation found.

An attorney for Luigi Mangione said Friday she may seek to get evidence gathered during his Pennsylvania arrest thrown out — and said Mayor Eric Adams and a top NYPD official improperly discussed evidence in the case.

Though the comptroller disagrees with Mayor Eric Adams on many things, he emphasized one major point of agreement: NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. She took over the department in November, and immediately started cleaning house.

Brad Lander wants New York City voters to know he’s not the radical on policing they may think he is. The lefty pol who’s running a more centrist mayoral campaign said he’d ask Mayor Eric Adams’ own police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, to stay on the job if elected. He wants to hire at least 1,500 cops and retain old ones by sweetening their pensions. He suggests flooding security guards — not cops — into subway stations with high fare-evasion rates. And of course, he no longer wants to defund the police. “I think progressives, myself included, were slow to respond to the elevation of crime and disorder that came through and out of the pandemic,” the city comptroller said at a press conference outside NYPD headquarters Tuesday. Lander’s detailed 17-page “blueprint for public safety” is a “strategy to confront the issues that I hear from New Yorkers in all five boroughs every single day,” he said. As a City Council member, Lander voted against the municipal budget in 2020 because it didn’t divert at least $1 billion from the police department to social services. Lander was quick to note he also voted for a budget in 2014 that added 1,300 officers to the force, suggesting he adapts to the times. His new plan is more aligned with that earlier vote, as Lander suggests a “laser-focus” on bringing the current number of cops, roughly 33,475, up to the budgeted headcount of 35,051. Lander would expand the police cadet program to students coming straight out of high school to boost recruitment, and respond to complaints about decrepit station houses by putting … air conditioning in dressing rooms. He’s not the first mayoral contender to focus on attrition. Scott Stringer’s policing plan includes filling the budgeted positions for cops, while Zellnor Myrie actually wants to raise uniformed headcount to 36,600. It’s more surprising that Lander is so publicly embracing the commissioner appointed by Adams, his rival with whom he has a particularly contentious relationship. Tisch’s hire has been praised by the moneyed class from which she hails, and to which she’ll be speaking this morning at an Association for a Better New York power breakfast. But as the first non-cop to lead the department in a generation, Lander’s progressive allies may be fine with the choice. “She’s willing to hold people accountable inside the department as well as outside,” said Working Families Party Co-Executive Director Ana María Archila, referring to Tisch clearing out some controversial executives. “So that is a new quality that we haven’t seen under this mayor, and an important role for a leader of a department that has so many stories of abuse.” — Jeff Coltin WHERE’S KATHY? Delivering remarks at the MTA board meeting at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan and participating in a fireside chat with Moms First Founder and CEO Reshma Saujani. WHERE’S ERIC? Appearing live on FOX 5’s “Good Day New York”, delivering remarks at the Department of Probation’s recruit graduation ceremony, calling into the GMGT Live’s “The Reset Talk Show,” attending the 32nd Anniversary Commemoration of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, then hosting an older adult town hall in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Insurance Hitting Uber Riders in the Wallet. New York State has some of the most onerous and expensive insurance laws for rideshare trips in the country and Uber riders are paying the cost. In December 2024, 25% of rider fares on average went toward government-mandated commercial insurance for Uber rideshare trips. Lawsuit abuse and the litigation environment in New York are driving up costs of everything even more, including insurance premiums. Learn More. SIGN HERE: New York City candidates fanned out across the five boroughs Tuesday hoping to collect enough signatures to get on the primary ballot. Even Adams, despite his minimal campaign apparatus and skeleton staff, got in on the action. A person familiar with the mayor’s operation — who provided Playbook with photo evidence of an unsigned petition topped solely with the mayor’s name — said dozens of volunteers hit the streets in Queens and the Bronx looking for registered Democrats. A more concerted effort will kick off over the weekend involving pastors and political clubs, the person said. Adams has proclaimed he’s all in ahead of the June Democratic Primary, even as several erstwhile advisers declined to confirm to Playbook they’re on board with the reelection effort and political bedfellows like Council Member Farah Louis omitted the mayor’s name from their own petitions. Over in the land of more active campaigns, Lander posted up Tuesday outside iconic Upper West Side grocery Zabar’s — mayoral opponent Scott Stringer’s Manhattan home turf, where Lander is making in-roads and having fun rubbing Stringer’s face in it. The comptroller spoke at length with some of the neighborhood’s trademark hyper-informed voters, who peppered him with questions, praise and criticism about crime, President Donald Trump and the unending saga of the Elizabeth Street Garden. “I didn’t have fighting with Elon Musk over $80 million he stole from us on my dance card,” Lander quipped to a voter, Jennifer Romine, about the billionaire White House aide’s recent seizure of city funds. “I didn’t think I’d be spending my golden years fighting fascism,” she responded. Another voter, who didn’t give her name, pushed Lander on his early support for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas — an issue that may present a political conundrum for him and others in the race. The voter eventually said Palestinians “need to be annihilated.” “That seems unlikely to bring peace or mutual recognition,” an exasperated Lander responded. Stringer, meanwhile, started Tuesday gathering signatures in Lander’s home neighborhood of Park Slope, Brooklyn. He also petitioned on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the afternoon, and ran into a voter who remembered Stringer ringing her doorbell to deliver food after her building lost power from Superstorm Sandy in 2012. “I never forgot that after all these years, so it’s really great seeing him again,” the voter said in a video shared by Stringer’s campaign. “I’m a huge, huge fan.” — Joe Anuta, Jeff Coltin and Cris Seda Chabrier ADAMS SPEAKS FREELY: Adams defended his relationship with Trump Tuesday night — and tried to smash any doubts he’s running for reelection. “There’s a level of buffoonery that’s going on, that’s spreading as fast as COVID. ‘Well, well, you shouldn’t be talking to the president,’” Adams said, quoting unnamed critics. “I’m the mayor of the biggest city in America! I will talk to who I want to, to bring services to your city!” Adams gave a 13-minute campaign style speech at his Black History Month reception at Gracie Mansion, and took a shot at the lengthy list of political leaders who’ve called on him to resign. “This is a biblical moment. When Jesus was on the cross, he said ‘God forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ All these negros who are asking me to step down, God forgive them,” Adams said. “Are you stupid? I’m running my race right now!” Adams gave his own lengthy list of accomplishments, like building housing, increasing MWBE spending, creating jobs and seizing handguns. “What we have done, you have to be stupid to try to stop me from running this race,” he concluded. Adams told a story of a journalist approaching Harlem Rep. Adam Clayton Powell after he’d been sanctioned by congress for, among other things, buying personal airline tickets with government funds. “And Adam looked at him with that cigar in his mouth,” the mayor recounted, “and he said ‘keep the faith, baby. Keep the faith.’” Powell was removed from Congress soon after. — Jeff Coltin CELEBRITY SIGHTING: Acclaimed actress Uma Thurman is hosting a fundraiser for Keith Powers’ Manhattan borough president campaign, per an invite obtained by Playbook. The $1,000-a-head March 14 fundraiser at a “private Soho residence” promises “private cocktails and conversation” with the “Pulp Fiction” star. Powers and the “Kill Bill” icon have mutual friends in the nonprofit world, and reconnected at the DNC last summer, campaign spokesperson JT Ennis said. “In the rough and tumble world that is New York City politics, it’s nice to have someone in your corner who’s a former member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.” — Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro, who also works for Elon Musk, now has a standard billing rate of $3,000 an hour, placing him on the top shelf among even the priciest of Manhattan lawyers. (Reuters) Donald Trump’s unprecedented effort to reshape the federal government is consuming Washington. To track this seismic shift, we’re relaunching one of our signature newsletters. Sign up to get West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government in your inbox. HOCHUL’S PICK: There’s a job opening up. Must be loyal, discreet and happy to play second banana. Willingness to travel is a plus. Hochul once again finds herself in the hunt for a new running mate after Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado announced he would not run for reelection alongside the governor (and maybe even challenge her) next year. So, what sort of qualities should Hochul want? Former Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy believes she needs someone who is loyal and in alignment with her views. “It’s discernment and respect for the principle,” Duffy told Playbook on Tuesday. “A lieutenant governor draws his or her authority from the governor and their relationship with the governor.” Duffy, who served as ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s understudy during his first term, really enjoyed the job. He did a lot of traveling, met new people and built relationships. And Duffy was effusive in his praise of Cuomo, once famously saying watching him govern was like watching Picasso paint. And Duffy — a former Rochester mayor and police chief — never thought about crossing the state’s chief executive. “People don’t really care what the lieutenant governor thinks,” Duffy said. “They care what the governor thinks.” Delgado, meanwhile, made his eventual departure from his current job official Tuesday in a filing with the state Board of Elections. Delgado’s state committee was previously registered to run for lieutenant governor. It’s now identified as being for an “undeclared” office. His team didn’t return a request for comment Tuesday, but filings like this are usually bookkeeping formalities by candidates who want to keep raising money while exploring their political options. Delgado — who had $969,000 in the bank in January — has been considered a potential primary challenger to Hochul. He said on Monday that “all options are on the table” in the future. Hochul, meanwhile, sidestepped questions over whether Delgado should resign, saying only: “It’s clear to me he’s not happy being in the role of lieutenant governor, but I wish him well in whatever he chooses to do.” — Nick Reisman and Bill Mahoney FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A coalition of business organizations and restaurant groups today will launch a push for a measure that would exclude sales tax and tips from credit card swipe fees. Supporters believe ending those surcharges will translate to $930 million in savings for merchants and customers. Those backing the bill include the National Federation of Independent Business, the Food Industry Alliance of New York and the New York State Restaurant Association. New York would not be the first to pass such a measure: Illinois lawmakers approved a similar provision last year. — Nick Reisman LOCAL PROBLEMS: There are looming fiscal problems for local governments, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office warned Tuesday. One-shot federal pandemic aid has expired, state aid has not been on par with inflation and local tax revenue is not growing — a mix that threatens to create budget woes for municipalities. The potential result: Choosing between tax increases or service cuts, which could have political ramifications — especially in the New York City suburbs, where homeowners pay some of the highest property taxes in the country. Amid the GOP’s wild whipping, Democrats stuck together, held the line and all voted against the plan. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries led his members in a show of unity on the steps of the U.S. Capitol against what they slammed as “heartless” cuts to social services. “The Republican budget represents the largest Medicaid cut in American history,” said Jeffries, surrounded by his caucus — a minority but a sizable one. “House Democrats will not provide a single vote to this reckless Republican budget. Not one.” Rep. Nydia Velázquez underscored the importance of Democrats standing as one early in the Congress. “This budget resolution is an outright attack on the programs and policies that Democrats have long fought to protect,” Velázquez told Playbook. “It guts Medicare and SNAP while handing out tax breaks to big corporations.” The process was a key test for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who voiced confidence earlier Tuesday that the GOP holdouts would get on board eventually. Passing the legislation is a crucial step toward realizing the Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill,” including on border security. “We’re going to do this methodically, we’re going to do it in a responsible manner, and we’re going to achieve these goals,” Johnson told reporters. The measure advanced late Tuesday calls for $2 trillion in spending cuts over a decade, with Republicans indicating the savings would come from Medicaid, SNAP and other benefits. “We’re standing together for principle, not for politics. We cannot accept decimation of needed health care for people who are poor or accept steep reductions in food assistance to families,” Rep. George Latimer told Playbook. Rep. John Mannion told Playbook he “will always put working people and families over greedy billionaires.” Hochul and Democratic groups looking to claw back seats in the midterms began condemning New York Republicans who backed the cuts almost immediately after the vote. — Emily Ngo TEAMING UP: Rep. Mike Lawler’s 2026 challenger has the endorsement of his 2024 challenger. Former Rep. Mondaire Jones is officially — and unsurprisingly — backing his fellow Democrat and Rockland County Legislator Beth Davidson in the Hudson Valley race. “No one knows better than I do the lengths to which Mike Lawler will go to prove his loyalty to Donald Trump, even if it makes the lives of his constituents worse,” said Jones in a statement, boosting Davidson as a bipartisan leader. Lawler defeated Jones by 6 points in a nasty race last November, winning a second term in one of the country’s most competitive House battlegrounds. Lawler is considered a moderate Republican. And while he has defended Trump, he also has split with the president on some issues, including his criticism of Ukraine. — Emily Ngo More from the delegation: — House Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, used an Energy and Commerce committee hearing to rail against Medicaid cuts and DOGE. (POLITICO) — Rep. Elise Stefanik’s confirmation as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is on ice as Republicans guard their slim majority. (New York Times) MAKING MOVES: Julia Hahn is now assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department. She most recently was deputy chief of staff for communications for Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and served in the first Trump White House. — Former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, fresh off the dismissal of his corruption case, has joined CinqCare as president for the northeast region after having previously consulted for the group. (City & State) MEDIAWATCH: Whitney Snyder will serve as the new editor in chief of the New York-based HuffPost … Kate Palmer will serve as HuffPost’s sole executive editor. New York residents already shoulder some of the nation’s highest auto insurance costs, paying an average of $3,840 a year for full coverage. Similarly, the mandatory cost of rideshare insurance per trip in New York is among the highest in the country. One reason behind this is the $1.25 million in liability coverage when a passenger is in the vehicle, which is 25 times the liability requirement for personal vehicles. Insurance premiums continue to rise in part because of the litigation environment in New York. Lawsuit fraud and abuse drives up costs for everything, including insurance rates. Uber is pushing for commonsense legislative changes that keep all trips covered while bringing down the cost of trips.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is asking a federal judge to toss out the corruption case against him, alleging prosecutorial misconduct, even as the Justice Department seeks dismissal of the charges on the Democrat's behalf.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams compared calls for his resignation to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ during a Black History Month event on Tuesday.

Taxpayers are now facing a bill topping $300,000 for private lawyers hired to handle four lawsuits accusing Timothy Pearson, a former top aide to Mayor Eric Adams, of sexually harassing a female employee and then retaliating against other staff who complained about his behavior.

Federal prosecutors are in the process of trying to dismiss the case for now, but Adams wants the case tossed for good.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams got into a testy exchange during a live TV interview on Wednesday when challenged on his use of the term “Negroes” at a recent Black History Month event.

A federal judge has adjourned the corruption trial for New York City Mayor Eric Adams and appointed counsel to advise him on how to handle the Justice Department's request to drop charges against the Democrat.

A federal judge has indefinitely adjourned New York City Mayor Eric Adams' fraud criminal trial after last week's request from the Department of Justice.