- Brian Benjamin resigned on Tuesday from his position as New York lieutenant governor.
- Benjamin was arrested earlier in the day on federal bribery charges.
- Federal prosecutors accused him of funneling public money in exchange for campaign donations.
Brian Benjamin has resigned from his post as New York's lieutenant governor, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced late Tuesday afternoon.
The dramatic exit for the Empire State's No. 2 official came hours after Benjamin surrendered himself to law enforcement and was arrested earlier Tuesday morning on federal bribery conspiracy and wire fraud charges.
—Courtney Gross (@courtneycgross) April 12, 2022
"I have accepted Brian Benjamin's resignation effective immediately," Hochul said in a short statement. "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 appeared in US District Court in Manhattan just a few hours after his arrest and pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
In the indictment unsealed on Tuesday, federal prosecutors also accused Benjamin of misleading Hochul's vetting team when she was considering a lieutenant governor.
His arrest was the result of an investigation by the FBI and the US attorney for the Southern District's office, with federal prosecutors accusing Benjamin of attempting to funnel state funds to a Harlem real estate investor in exchange for illegal campaign donations, according to the indictment reported on by The New York Times.
Hochul appointed Benjamin, 45, as her lieutenant governor soon after she took over the governor's job following Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation in August 2021. He is from Harlem and served in the New York State Senate beginning in 2017.
Benjamin received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and an MBA from Harvard University beginning his career in investment banking. He got his start in politics on former President Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.
New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins will fill in as the state's acting-lieutenant governor.
Even with his resignation, Benjamin's legal issues remain a political headache for Hochul as she runs in November for a full term. That's because Benjamin is effectively locked into his slot beneath her on the Democratic primary ballot New York voters will fill out in June. His name can only be removed if he were to move out of state, run for another office, or die.
Earlier Tuesday, Hochul dodged a question about Benjamin during a press conference in the aftermath of the fatal Sunset Park subway attack in Brooklyn.
"I have not had a chance to speak to him," Hochul told reporters. "I was in a meeting this morning, but this is not the place, but I will be addressing it very shortly. Let's focus on the fact that there are people in a hospital right now fighting for their lives. Those are the people we're thinking about and praying for at this moment."