Oakland mayor’s lawyer quits, former chief of staff calls on her to resign after FBI raid

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's spokesman and newly hired attorney have both parted ways with the city leader following a week in which Thao's house was raided by the FBI and she held a press conference declaring her innocence without informing her lawyer.

Tony Brass, a high-profile attorney, was retained as Thao's counsel late last week after the FBI and the investigation arm of the United States Postal Service raided her Oakland home.

Less than five days later, Brass called it quits.

"I have officially withdrawn as Sheng Thao's counsel," Brass told KRON4.com via text message.

During Thao's Monday news conference from Oakland City Hall, she implied, without providing any evidence, that the FBI raid was connected to a recall effort against her. She also said "radical right-wing forces" and a "handful of billionaires" from the San Francisco area and Piedmont, a small city in Alameda County, were "hell-bent" on removing her from office.

Her staff told reporters ahead of the press conference that the mayor wouldn't be taking any questions on the advice of her attorney. However, Brass said he had no idea his new client was even giving a press conference until he saw it on the news.

Thao proclaimed during the news conference she had "done nothing wrong" and promised to be "100% transparent and cooperate fully" with an FBI investigation.

"I want to be crystal clear: I have done nothing wrong," said Thao, who had been missing in action since Thursday. "I can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me."

Wiping a tear from her eye, she took aim at her detractors, vowing that she is "not going down like that — we're not going down like that."

It was also revealed that Thao's spokesman, Francis Zamora, left his post, KTVU reported . It is unclear whether he left on his terms or was dismissed.

Pati Navalta will serve as the interim chief of communications. She said she "can't comment on personnel matters" when asked why Zamora was no longer the mayor's spokesman.

To be sure, it has been a rough few days for Thao.

Not only was her home raided, but Renia Webb, her former chief of staff and confidante, called on the mayor to resign. Webb told CBS News that she had concerns about pay-to-play allegations that have dogged Thao for more than a year. Webb has also been interviewed by FBI agents, she said.

Webb worked closely with Thao for 16 months and was her chief of staff when Thao was a councilwoman.

"A lot of what's coming out now is the reason I resigned shortly there after winning the election that we fought so hard to win," she said.

Webb said she was more sad than surprised about the FBI raid.

"I wasn't surprised. I was like, 'Finally. Finally, the truth is coming out,'" Webb recalled.

Last week, the Oakland chapter of the NAACP also called on Thao to resign , claiming the city "has a cloud hanging over it today" and that Thao should step down ahead of recall efforts to oust her.

A week ago, it was confirmed that enough signatures had been collected for a recall question to qualify on a November ballot.

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Thao has neither been arrested nor been charged with a crime.

The FBI has not said why it conducted the raid.