New York City’s top lawyer was “pushed out” by the Adams administration and is backing a veteran litigator who once served as Rudy Giuliani’s chief of staff and deputy mayor, the Post reported.
Randy Mastro is expected to replace Sylvia O. Hines-Radix, the city’s current corporate general counsel, who has held the role for the past two and a half years, but did not choose to do so. The official said.
“They are trying to force her out because she is not the puppet they wanted her to be,” a political source told the Post on condition of anonymity.
The city is in the final stages of hiring Mastro, a former federal prosecutor. He is best known for his recent success in exonerating Republican former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie of criminal charges in the Bridgegate scandal.
“Randy Mastro got a $1 million retainer to get rid of Bridgegate’s Chris Christie. Mayor Adams thinks Mr. Mastro will do the same for him,” the Democrat said. political operative Ken Friedman told the Post.
It’s unclear what the city offered Mastro. However, since corporate lawyers earn $253,000 a year, they are likely to take a significant pay cut.
Hines-Radix told the Post last week that there was any tension between her and the Adams administration, saying, “I don’t know where you’re coming from to say that.”
The newspaper reached out to Hines Radix for comment following Mastro’s report, but did not immediately receive a response.
Mr. Mastro met with aides at City Hall to discuss the job, and the City Bureau of Investigation was notified that he would be joining the administration. Anonymous sources told The New York Times..
Another person familiar with the matter said Mr. Mastro is likely to take advantage of the opportunity and has already notified his law firm King & Spalding of his possible resignation.
Mr. Mastro has earned a reputation as a fierce legal opponent, most notably when he was hired by Mr. Christie in 2014 to conduct an internal review of lane closures on the George Washington Bridge.
He also represents New Jersey in opposition to a congestion pricing plan that would charge drivers $15 and trucks $24 to $36 to enter midtown Manhattan.
Mastro donated $2,100 to Adams’ re-election campaign last October, after already donating to his first mayoral campaign in 2021.
His appointment requires approval from the City Council.
The newspaper has reached out to King & Spalding, the city and city council members for comment.
Mr. Mastro’s new position will be as part of the Corporate Counsel, which directs the Department of Justice and provides legal advice to the administration.
Hines-Radix, who was appointed to the position in January 2022, previously served as an associate judge in the New York State Appellate Division and led the mayor’s swearing-in.
She appeared alongside the mayor at the press conference, but was conspicuously absent on Tuesday, the paper said.
She and her firm have previously represented Mr. Hizuner in a sexual assault lawsuit alleging he assaulted a co-worker while he was a police officer in 1993, a charge he vehemently denies. .
In January, Hines Radix announced it would sue the transportation companies that brought migrants into the city for the cost of caring for them, as the administration bowed to the pressure of the mass influx.
Mr. Adams is also facing a number of legal challenges, not only as he resists the federal government’s takeover of Rikers, but also as administration officials face a series of investigations.
A federal investigation has been launched into Adams’ campaign’s ties to the Turkish government and flight upgrades from Turkish Airlines.
Meanwhile, Winnie Greco was placed on leave from her job as Asia director after her home was searched by the FBI in February.
Another aide, Timothy Pearson, was accused of sexually harassing a police sergeant last month and is under investigation after a scuffle with a security guard at a Manhattan immigration center.
Pearson is represented by the city, but will be represented by an unnamed outside attorney, the Times reported.
