Antisemitic posts resurfacing from more than a decade ago abruptly ended a key appointment in NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration, raising fresh questions about vetting and judgment during the city’s transition.
Catherine Almonte Da Costa resigned Thursday, just one day after Mamdani named her the city’s next director of appointments. The reversal followed public pressure from the Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey, which flagged a series of posts from 2011 and 2012 containing antisemitic stereotypes.
Among them was a January 2011 post reading, “Money hungry Jews smh,” followed months later by, “Woo! Promoted to the upstairs office today! Working alongside these rich Jewish peeps.” In 2012, Da Costa also wrote, “Far Rockaway train is the Jew train.” The posts remained visible until Thursday afternoon, when the account was deleted.
The ADL said, “Her social media footprint includes posts from more than a decade ago that echo classic antisemitic tropes and otherwise demean Jewish people,” adding, “Tweeting about ‘Money hungry Jews’ is indefensible.”
Within hours, Da Costa stepped down, saying the controversy had become a “distraction.” “I spoke with the Mayor-elect this afternoon, apologized, and expressed my deep regret for my past statements,” she said. “These statements are not indicative of who I am.”
Additional posts uncovered included anti-police rhetoric such as “[Expletive] the police” and references to NYPD officers as “piggies,” as well as support for the “defund the police” movement in 2020.
Mamdani’s team condemned the remarks as “unacceptable.” The mayor-elect said, “Catherine expressed her deep remorse over her past statements and tendered her resignation, and I accepted.”
