New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin resigns after getting indicted on federal bribery charges

The lieutenant governor of New York, Brian Benjamin, has resigned.

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

Hochul said in a short statement that she had accepted Brian Benjamin's resignation and that he couldn't continue to serve as Lieutenant Governor. New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in their government, and I will continue working to deliver for them.

Benjamin appeared in US District Court in Manhattan just a few hours after his arrest and pleaded not guilty to federal charges.

Benjamin was accused of misleading Hochul's vetting team when she was considering a lieutenant governor.

Benjamin was arrested after an investigation by the FBI and the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, with federal prosecutors accusing him 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.

Benjamin was appointed lieutenant governor by Hochul after she took over the job from Andrew Cuomo. He served in the New York State Senate.

Benjamin graduated from Brown University with an undergrad degree and from Harvard University with an masters degree in investment banking. He started in politics on the campaign of Barack Obama.

The acting-lieutenant governor will be the New York Senate majority leader.

Even though Benjamin has resigned, his legal issues remain a political problem for Hochul as she runs for a full term. New York voters will fill out the Democratic primary ballot in June and Benjamin is locked into her slot. If he moved out of state, ran for another office or died, his name would be removed.

Hochul dodged a question about Benjamin during a press conference in the aftermath of the Sunset Park subway attack.

Hochul told reporters that he had not had a chance to speak to him. There are people in a hospital fighting for their lives. Those are the people we are praying for at the moment.