Director of Appointments Post Terminated After Classic Antisemitic Social Media Posts Surface From Decade-Old Tweets
Catherine Almonte Da Costa resigned from her position as director of appointments within 24 hours after the Anti-Defamation League publicized decade-old antisemitic social media posts from her X account, exposing serious failures in Mamdani’s transition vetting procedures. The swift collapse of her appointment raised urgent questions about whether the incoming administration possessed adequate capacity to evaluate appointees for sensitivity to antisemitism and alignment with Jewish community values.
The Posts and Public Response
Documented Antisemitic Statements
AOL News reported that Da Costa’s posts included direct invocations of antisemitic stereotypes, with statements like “Money hungry Jews smh” from January 2011 and “Woo! Promoted to the upstairs office today! Working alongside these rich Jewish peeps” from June 2011. In June 2012, she posted “Far Rockaway train is the Jew train.” The ADL called these statements indefensible and echoing classic antisemitic tropes about Jewish people and money.
The ADL Challenge
The ADL demanded answers from Mamdani’s team about whether appointees knew of Da Costa’s past posts and whether the comments were excused or considered acceptable. The organization’s public pressure forced Mamdani to act swiftly or risk appearing indifferent to antisemitism.
Resignation Statement and Context
Da Costa’s Explanation
Da Costa issued a statement within hours claiming she had become a “distraction” and that her comments “do not in any way, shape, or form reflect who I am or my views and beliefs today.” She emphasized being the mother of Jewish children and expressed “profound sense of sadness and remorse.” However, critics questioned how such posts could have escaped vetting that was supposedly designed to identify exactly these concerns.
Vetting Process Failure
Mamdani’s team acknowledged the vetting failures were “unacceptable,” with transition officials explaining they had not detected the old posts. This admission raised serious concerns about whether transition officials were conducting adequate historical social media review or relying on cursory background checks.
Broader Implications
Trust and Confidence Questions
The incident damaged credibility with New York City’s Jewish community just weeks before Mamdani took office. Jewish leaders questioned what additional personnel with problematic histories remained undetected within the transition apparatus. The ADL subsequently documented that over 20 percent of transition appointees had connections to antisemitic or anti-Israel activities, suggesting Da Costa represented only the most obvious problem case that surfaced publicly.
