Catherine Almonte Da Costa, a senior appointee to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration, resigned Thursday after resurfaced social media posts showed her mocking Jews and attacking law enforcement.
Da Costa was announced just a day earlier as Mamdani’s director of appointments, a top-level role tasked with staffing key positions across city government. But within hours, archived posts from her social media account began circulating — including one that read: “Money hungry Jews smh.”
Other posts from 2011 and 2012 mocked Jewish commuters on the “Jew train” and referenced “rich Jewish peeps” in her workplace.
Additional posts showed hostility toward police, including references to NYPD officers as “piggies” as well as public support for anti-police protest slogans.
Da Costa also posted “F*** the police” and voiced support for defunding the NYPD during the 2020 George Floyd protests, calling to cut $1 billion and remove officers from schools and subways.
While not cited in her resignation, the anti-police rhetoric added to growing criticism of her appointment.
In a statement shared by Mamdani’s office, Da Costa said she had spoken with the mayor-elect, expressed her remorse, and offered her resignation.
“As the mother of Jewish children, I feel a profound sense of sadness and remorse at the harm these words have caused,” she said. “These statements are not indicative of who I am.”
Mamdani accepted the resignation, stating that Da Costa had shown “deep remorse” over her past remarks.
The incident adds to rising concerns over Mamdani’s leadership and the ideological direction of his team.
The far-left Democrat socialist, known for his anti-Israel positions, has faced criticism from Jewish groups and public safety advocates alike. Polling shows a majority of Jewish New Yorkers believe his administration will make the city less safe for Jews.
Da Costa’s departure follows recent controversy involving another Mamdani staffer who apologized for previous statements. His transition team also includes left-wing BLM activist Tamika Mallory, a former Women’s March leader accused of antisemitic associations.
Last week, Breitbart News reported that Mamdani tapped Mysonne Linen, a formerly incarcerated rapper, to lead his City Hall transition team on public safety.
In 1999, a Bronx jury convicted Linen of two armed taxi driver robberies, sending him to prison for seven years of a potential 25-year sentence.
The matter comes as New York City witnesses violent, targeted assaults on Jewish individuals during the Hanukkah holiday, part of a broader pattern of rising antisemitism and heightened holiday‑season security concerns.
The combination of anti-Jewish and anti-police sentiment tied to Mamdani’s team has intensified scrutiny of his staffing decisions, especially in a city grappling with both rising hate crimes and deteriorating trust in public institutions.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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