Committee on Rules, Privileges, Elections, Standards and Ethics meeting
April 6, 2026, 10:00 AM
The Committee on Rules, Privileges, Elections, Standards and Ethics held an initial hearing on the Mayor's nomination of Nadia Shihata to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, as required before the full Council can vote on the appointment. No vote was taken.
What was discussed
- Committee convenes for the DOI Commissioner nomination hearing Chairperson Sandra Ung opened the advice-and-consent hearing on Mayor Mamdani's nomination of Nadia Shihata as Commissioner of the Department of Investigation, outlining DOI's statutory mandate and Shihata's background as a longtime federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York, before the
- Nominee's opening statement on independence, resources, and results Nadia Shihata, the mayoral nominee, testified that if confirmed she would focus on preserving DOI's investigative independence, securing adequate resources and staffing, and sustaining results through both individual accountability and proactive systemic-risk work, citing her record prosecuting
- Why must the DOI Commissioner be independent of the officials she investigates? Nadia Shihata told Chairperson Ung that independence ensures investigations are driven only by facts, law, and evidence, gives the public confidence in DOI's findings, and prevents officials under investigation from controlling the process.
- Have you donated to political candidates, and to whom? Nadia Shihata told Chairperson Ung that she has donated to federal Democratic campaigns over the years but, at the municipal level, only to the current Mayor, and to no other city or state candidates or to anyone over whom she would have DOI jurisdiction.
- Does your support for the Mayor show a pre-existing bias? Deputy Speaker Nantasha M. Williams pressed on Shihata's four donations totaling $700 and one evening canvassing for Mayor Mamdani; Shihata said she would not characterize it as unusually enthusiastic support, distinguished her private political participation from her public duty, and said it shows
- Would you recuse yourself from investigations involving the Mayor's chief counsel? Majority Leader Shaun Abreu questioned Shihata's decades-long social relationship with the Mayor's chief counsel Ramzi Kassem, who recruited her to apply; Shihata said she would consult DOI's general counsel and follow any recusal advice rather than committing outright to recuse, and noted she only
- Will you act 'without fear or favor,' and will you make your social media accounts available for vetting? Minority Leader David M. Carr asked Shihata to commit to acting without fear or favor regardless of politics, which she did, and asked her to make her several social media accounts available for review; Shihata said she would consider it but noted the accounts contain personal family photos.
- How can you assure the Council you'll investigate the Mayor without bias? Council Member Linda Lee raised Shihata's long friendship with the Mayor's counsel who recruited her; Shihata clarified it was not a close friendship and said she would investigate without fear or favor, and confirmed she would not halt an inquiry into a friend-awarded contract just because the
- How will you rebuild DOI's depleted staff and advocate for its budget? Nadia Shihata told Council Member Linda Lee that DOI, now around 400 staff after losing roughly a quarter of its workforce since 2019, needs a relentless budget advocate; she said she would push OMB, the Mayor's Office, and the Council to fill the roughly 26 vacancies and fund new mandates like the
- Will you commit to recusing from investigations involving the Mayor, and when have you challenged authority? Council Member Chris Banks asked Shihata to commit to recusal and pressed on independence; she again said she would seek and follow counsel's recusal advice, said she does not believe her donations create a conflict, and cited resisting pressure from corrections officers while investigating sexual
- How would you strengthen DOI's oversight of corruption and security failures at NYCHA? Nadia Shihata told Council Member Chris Banks she would maintain DOI's dedicated NYCHA squad, prioritize following up that accepted recommendations are implemented, use complaint patterns to target proactive investigations, and noted the reporting on absent and timesheet-falsifying NYCHA security
- What are your top priorities, and should DOI funding be pegged to a share of the city budget? Nadia Shihata told Council Member Shekar Krishnan her top priority is securing DOI's resources, especially to hire and retain investigators, and said she is open to pegging DOI's budget to a percentage of the city budget to protect its independence and reduce reliance on asset-forfeiture funds
- How would you ensure DOI's independence and proactive prevention across all agencies? Nadia Shihata told Council Member Shekar Krishnan that investigative confidentiality is key to independence, that DOI should draw systemic lessons from past cases and use data analytics for prevention, that the Corporation Counsel could resolve DOI's dispute with the Conflicts of Interest Board, and
- Former federal colleague backs the nomination Maria Cruz Melendez, a Skadden Arps partner and former Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Section at the Eastern District of New York, testified in strong support of Shihata, describing her as an attorney of exceptional integrity and judgment with the independence and rigor the DOI role demands.
- Former supervisor endorses the nominee Kristin Mace, a Covington & Burling partner and former Chief of the Criminal Division at the Eastern District of New York who supervised Shihata's work, offered unequivocal support, calling her a fearless, independent thinker who made tough cases without bias and would be one of the most effective
- Hearing closed Chairperson Ung excused the nominee, closed public comment, and adjourned the meeting; no vote was taken at this hearing.
Agenda
1 item
- M 0053-2026 Communication from the Mayor – Submitting the name of Ms. Nadia Shihata to the Council for advice and consent regarding her appointment as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigations, pursuant to Section 31 of the New York City Charter. Hearing Held by Committee