But Mayor Eric Adams appears to be sticking with his handpicked top cop, at least for now, and is considering bringing on a celebrity attorney to represent him should any legal troubles be in the offing, The Post has learned.
The attorney — Alex Spiro, of the Los Angeles-based Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan law firm — was once referred to by The New Yorker as the man who “keeps the rich and famous above the law” and has a laundry list of swanky clients, such as Elon Musk, Jay-Z, Megan Thee Stallion and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Local politicians are calling for Police Commissioner Edward Caban to step down after his home was raided by federal agents earlier this week. AP
It’s still not clear what accusations Spiro would be fighting off — despite federal raids on the homes of Caban and other top officials in the Adams administration, no one has been charged or indicted for a crime yet.
But some Democratic pols called for heads to roll — starting with Caban — stressing the investigation, which sources said centers around sweeping corruption and influence peddling, is a bad look for New York City.
“Even the appearance of impropriety casts a dark shadow over the integrity of our police department,” City Councilman Bob Holden, a Queens Democrat, told The Post on Friday.
“The magnitude of this issue is too significant, causing far too many distractions, and for the good of both the department and the city, the police commissioner should resign.”
Councilman Lincoln Restler agreed, saying in a post on X that Caban “must go.”
“I’m not accustomed to writing this — but the New York Post editorial board got it right,” the Brooklyn Democrat wrote, referencing The Post’s Thursday editorial calling on the mayor to tell the longtime cop to resign.
“Police Commissioner Edward Caban must go,” he continued.
Mayor Eric Adams is still by Caban’s side as he also hired a celebrity attorney Alex Spiro to represent him, The Post has learned. AP
“The NYPD partners with FBI all day to keep New Yorkers safe, and their leader cannot do his job if he’s an FBI target.”
Ken Frydman, a Democratic operative and the CEO of Source Communications, echoed these comments Friday.
“He should fall on his sword,” Frydman said of Caban.
“It’s much more than a distraction. A yellow bow tie is a distraction. This is a paralytic. It poisons the whole workforce.”
“That s–t rolls downhill,” he continued. “I’m sure there are a lot of people updating their resumes today … We knew things were happening, but we didn’t know the extent.”
Spiro was once referred to by The New Yorker as the man who “keeps the rich and famous above the law.” james.caban.7/facebook
The feds hit Caban and other members of the nation’s largest police force — as well as several people in Adams’ inner circle — earlier this week in a stunning series of raids that have upended the Big Apple’s political world.
Aside from Caban, the feds came knocking at the door of Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks and a townhouse shared by Schools Chancellor David Banks and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, law enforcement sources said.
Authorities seized their electronic devices — just as another top Adams aide, retired NYPD inspector Timothy Pearson, had his phones subpoenaed, sources added.
Caban’s twin brother, former NYPD sergeant James Caban, was also hit with a search warrant and a subpoena, sources said.
And NYPD Chief of Staff Raul Pintos and two precinct commanders in Manhattan and Queens have been asked to turn over their phones in an investigation sources say travels all the way down to rank-and-file street cops.
Many local politicians want Caban to resign, which sources said centers around sweeping corruption and influence peddling, which is a bad look for New York City. Christopher Sadowski
The connection between the raids, subpoenas and law enforcement sweeps remained opaque Friday. Federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York — which has also been eyeing Adams’ 2021 campaign in an unrelated investigation — are leading the charge, sources said.
But cutting off the rotting limb to save the administration might not be so easy, one source said of the commissioner.
“He can’t leave — he’s stuck,” the source said. “If he leaves, he damages Adams beyond imagination. If he leaves, it would be an admission of guilt.”
Others say it doesn’t matter — with one Democratic operative saying the raids were absolutely “tectonic.”
“Caban has to go,” the operative said. “He spends hours each week coordinating with the FBI, it’s a no-brainer now.
“I can’t imagine he can hold on.”
City Hall and the NYPD didn’t immediately return requests for comment.
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