Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin resigned his office he held for about seven months Tuesday after being arrested on federal bribery charges, Governor Kathy Hochul announced.
“I have accepted Brian Benjamin’s resignation effective immediately,” Hochul said in a statement announcing Benjamin’s departure. “While the legal process plays out, it is clear to both of us that he cannot continue to serve as Lieutenant Governor. New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in their government, and I will continue working every day to deliver for them.”
Benjamin, who was Hochul’s second in command, faced a federal judge in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday following an indictment from U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams that charged Benjamin with bribery. He was arrested Tuesday morning after surrendering himself to police.
