Zohran Mamdani’s upcoming administration has run into trouble even before his swearing-in ceremony. On Wednesday, the NYC mayor-elect appointed Catherine Almonte Da Costa as his Director of Appointments. Just a day after the announcement, Da Costa had to resign from her post after the Anti-Defamation League exposed some controversial statements she had made in the past. In a series of tweets in 2011, Da Costa went on an antisemitic rant, calling Jews ‘money hungry.’
As the ADL demanded answers from Mamdani and his team, the newly selected Director of Appointments tendered her resignation and apologized for her past statements. Da Costa said she has changed and is now the mother of two Jewish children. But the damage had already been done.
Mayor-Elect Mamdani has announced Catherine (Cat) Almonte Da Costa as his Director of Appointments, tasked with “bring[ing] top talent into this administration.”
Her social media footprint includes posts from more than a decade ago that echo classic antisemitic tropes and… pic.twitter.com/fMe2zMuphA
— ADL New York / New Jersey (@ADL_NYNJ) December 18, 2025
The ADL shared screenshots of her tweets from 14 years ago, which are now going viral and giving a hard time to the Mamdani administration. One of the tweets read, “Woo! Promoted to the upstairs office today! Working alongside these rich Jewish peeps.” Another one stated, “Money hungry Jews smh.”
If that wasn’t enough, Da Costa continued her rant in 2012 and posted, “Far Rockaway train is the Jew train.” That is not all. Apart from expressing stereotypical views on Jews, she also took shots at the New York Police Department at the time and called them ‘piggies.’
The tweets remained on X (formerly Twitter) for years until Da Costa deactivated her account on Thursday. She then apologized for her past actions in an official statement and said, “I spoke with the mayor-elect this afternoon, apologized, and expressed my deep regret for my past statements. These statements are not indicative of who I am.”
Revealing that she had already resigned from the position of Director of Appointments, Da Costa said, “As the mother of Jewish children, I feel a profound sense of sadness and remorse at the harm these words have caused. As this has become a distraction from the work at hand, I have offered my resignation.”
Meet Catherine Almonte Da Costa, Zohran Mamdani’s pick for Director of Appointments in his new administration:
– “Jew train”
– “money hungry Jews”
– “rich Jewish peeps”
After her old posts resurfaced, she thankfully resigned this afternoon and says she is a mother to Jewish… pic.twitter.com/pNL1C9I2vH
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) December 18, 2025
Da Costa calls herself the mother of Jewish children as she is married to Ricky M. Da Costa, NYC’s deputy comptroller for Public Affairs, whose mother happens to be Jewish. No further details about her family’s religious affiliation were provided.
Mamdani likely chose Da Costa as a team member owing to her experience in NYC administration. She had earlier worked in the census team of former Mayor Bill de Blasio. However, the Mayor-elect was forced to backtrack and accept Da Costa’s resignation amid the controversy.
He said, “Catherine expressed her deep remorse over her past statements and tendered her resignation, and I accepted.”
Mamdani’s swearing-in ceremony is going to take place on January 1, 2026, but he is already under fire from the ADL. The league has asked some hard-hitting questions of the 34-year-old Democrat, including whether he was aware of Da Costa’s antisemitic statements and why she was still appointed. Though Mamdani has accepted Da Costa’s resignation, he has yet to respond to the ADL’s queries.
