An appointee for New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, abruptly resigned after the Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey exposed her past anti-Semitic social media posts.
On Wednesday, Mamdani announced that Catherine Almonte Da Costa would be his director of appointments.
'As this has become a distraction from the work at hand, I have offered my resignation.'
The ADL responded to the nomination by highlighting Da Costa's numerous anti-Jewish online comments.
"Her social media footprint includes posts from more than a decade ago that echo classic antisemitic tropes and otherwise demean Jewish people. ... We appreciate Da Costa has relationships with members of the Jewish community, but her posts require immediate explanation — not just from Ms. Da Costa, but also from the Mayor-Elect," the ADL wrote.
The ADL continued, "Vetting the appointment of city leaders will be Ms. Da Costa's responsibility and the Jewish community deserves to know: 1) Were these comments previously identified by the Mayor-elect's team? If so, why were they excused? 2) What will be the policy of the new Administration if comments like these are discovered during the vetting process?"
The ADL's post included screenshots of three X posts from Da Costa's account, which has since been removed.
RELATED: Mamdani dares ICE to come get him — and throws the Constitution in the trash
"Money hungry Jews smh," Da Costa apparently wrote in January 2011 on then-Twitter, presumably using an abbreviation for "shaking my head," an expression of disapproval.
"Woo! Promoted to the upstairs office today! Working alongside these rich Jewish peeps," she apparently wrote later that year.
"Far Rockaway train is the Jew train," a third post read from June 2012.
In 2020, Da Costa posted anti-cop sentiments, calling for the defunding of the New York Police Department by $1 billion in the upcoming fiscal year to "get cops out of our schools & subways," the New York Post reported.
Da Costa announced her resignation on Thursday, following the resurfaced posts.
"I spoke with the mayor-elect this afternoon, apologized, and expressed my deep regret for my past statements," Da Costa said. "These statements are not indicative of who I am. 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."
In a separate statement, she contended that her "tweets from well over a decade ago ... do not in any way, shape, or form reflect who I am or my views and beliefs today."
Mamdani called Da Costa's past remarks "unacceptable," adding that the posts "absolutely do not represent him or the values of his administration."
"Catherine expressed her deep remorse over her past statements and tendered her resignation, and I accepted," he added.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation has cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League after many criticized the ADL for listing Turning Point USA as a hate group.
The ADL shut down a "Glossary of Extremism" over the backlash on Tuesday in response to heavy criticism on social media after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
'That era is OVER. This FBI won't partner with political fronts masquerading as watchdogs.'
FBI Director Kash Patel referenced an address from former FBI Director James Comey to the Anti-Defamation League National Leadership Summit in 2017, where he literally expressed his love for the organization.
"James Comey wrote 'love letters' to the ADL and embedded FBI agents with them — a group that ran disgraceful ops spying on Americans," he wrote on social media. "That era is OVER. This FBI won't partner with political fronts masquerading as watchdogs."
He added in a statement to Fox News Digital, "That was not law enforcement; it was activism dressed up as counterterrorism, and it put Americans in danger."
The ADL told Reuters that it had taken note of Patel's statement and added that the organization "has deep respect" for the FBI.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk entered the fray and criticized the ADL.
"The ADL hates Christians, therefore it is ... a hate group," he posted on the X platform Sunday.
"The @ADL has become a far left hate propaganda machine," he added.
In January, the ADL defended Musk from accusations that he had made a Nazi salute gesture during a rally for the second inauguration of President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. The group was criticized by Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York over its statement of support for Musk.
Musk previously accused the ADL of costing X ad revenue by demanding social media accounts be suspended for language it deemed offensive or extremist.
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The Anti-Defamation League is ending its list of what it considers to be extremist groups and people.
The ADL made an announcement on Tuesday evening about retiring its "Glossary of Extremism," a list of over 1,000 entries, which it claimed "served as a source of high-level information on a wide range of topics for years."
'Christian Identity is a religious ideology popular in extreme right-wing circles.'
The organization admitted that an "increasing number" of its entries were outdated, while stating that many of the entries had somehow been "intentionally misrepresented and misused."
The organization wrote on X that it will now "explore new strategies and creative approaches" to present its research and focus on "fighting antisemitism and hate."
For the past few days, the ADL has been under intense scrutiny after readers noted its page on Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk's organization, was listed as a hate group.
In fact, TPUSA's backgrounder on the ADL website remains labeled with the tags "Extremism, Hate, or Terrorism" and comes from the ADL's "Center on Extremism."
The page relates TPUSA to extremists or extremism at least six times and claims the organization's events have featured "far-right conspiracy theorists," with Kirk creating a "vast platform" used by "numerous extremists."
The ADL's description of Kirk and his company drew widespread backlash, even from Tesla founder Elon Musk.
RELATED: Charlie Kirk assassination inspires famed ESPN commentator to run for Senate — as a conservative
— (@)
Musk sent out an array of posts on X in recent days, calling the ADL a "hate group" as well as a "far left hate propaganda machine."
Musk also wrote that the ADL "sells hate" and "hates Christians, therefore it is is a hate group."
The "Christians" post was in response to the ADL's page on the "Christian Identity movement," which is also listed under "Extremism, Hate, or Terrorism" by the ADL.
"Christian Identity is a religious ideology popular in extreme right-wing circles," the ADL writes. "Adherents believe that whites of European descent can be traced back to the 'Lost Tribes of Israel.' Many consider Jews to be the Satanic offspring of Eve and the Serpent, while non-whites are 'mud peoples' created before Adam and Eve."
It adds — still in the introduction — that the movement holds "virulent racist and anti-Semitic beliefs" that are usually accompanied by "extreme anti-government sentiments."
Absolutely.
The @ADL has become a far left hate propaganda machine.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 30, 2025
Musk had said that "the ADL needs to change this now" in response to a screenshot from the group's page about TPUSA, which was last updated in 2023; but the page has since seen changes.
Much of the verbiage seems to have simply been reworded, but the page no longer lists TPUSA as a right-wing organization in its very first point. Some of the points have also been toned down. For example, the page allegedly used to say TPUSA "has promoted numerous conspiracy theories," but now says it "has promoted some conspiracy theories."
As reported by Fox News, the now-defunct glossary had listed groups like the Nation of Islam, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and more as extremists. It also included TPUSA and the "America First" movement, but not Antifa or Black Lives Matter.
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Over the past year, Elon Musk's public comments and X activity have subtly shifted to include more frequent references to Christianity, such as sharing biblical wisdom and promoting forgiveness, while stopping short of declaring himself a true believer.
'I think this notion of forgiveness is important; I think it's essential.'
Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk wrote in a post on X over the weekend, "Go to church," and Musk shared her comment. That same day, Musk slammed the Anti-Defamation League, calling it "a hate group" because it "hates Christians."
Musk has repeatedly stated that he believes "woke" is the "religion that occupies the space previously held by Christianity."
Last month, Musk quoted a Bible verse, Matthew 7:3, writing, "Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?"
He also shared from the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
During an interview with Jordan Peterson last year, Musk described himself as a "cultural Christian," explaining that while he admires "the principles that Jesus advocated," he is "not a particularly religious person."
"I do believe that the teachings of Jesus are good and wise and that there's tremendous wisdom in turning the other cheek," Musk told Peterson. "And with respect to bullies at school, I think you shouldn't turn the other cheek; you should punch them on the nose and then, thereafter, make peace with them."
"I think this notion of forgiveness is important; I think it's essential," he added.
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'This FBI formally rejects Comey’s policies and any partnership with the ADL,' Patel said in a statement.
Political violence is no longer confined to the margins of American life. The so-called “fringe” left is not fringe at all.
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