*Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh is resigning after battling accusations of corruption amid an ongoing investigation into the book deals that reportedly paid her hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Pugh released a statement that was read to the media by her attorney, Steve Silverman, The Blaze reports.
“Dear citizens of Baltimore, I would like to thank you for allowing me to serve as the 50th mayor. It has been an honor and a privilege,” the statement read.
“Today I am submitting my resignation to the Baltimore City Council,” she continued. “I am sorry for the harm that I have caused to the image of the city of Baltimore, and to the credibility of the office of the mayor.”
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JUST IN: Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh is resigning amid scandal, multiple investigations into lucrative sales of her children’s books, her attorney announced. https://t.co/YyedzTDPLJ pic.twitter.com/W0lloBEziV
— ABC News (@ABC) May 2, 2019
Pugh noted that “Baltimore deserves a mayor who can move our great city forward.”
She also penned a letter to Jack Young, president of the Baltimore City Council, in which she wrote, “In the best interest of the people and government of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, I am writing to attest that, effective immediately, I hereby resign from the Office of Mayor, to which I was duly elected on November 8, 2016.
“I am confident that I have left the city in capable hands for the duration of the term to which I was elected.”
In a statement, Maryland’s Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said that he supported Pugh’s decision.
“This was the right decision, as it was clear the mayor could no longer lead effectively. The federal and state investigations must and will continue to uncover the facts,” he said. “Baltimore City can now begin to move forward. The state pledges its full support to incoming Mayor Jack Young and to city leaders during this time of transition.”
Pugh faced a chorus of criticism and calls for her resignation after reports of the suspicious lucrative sales of her children’s book. Some of the money allegedly came from “entities she had political power to influence,” The Blaze writes.
Pugh initially denied the accusations, but soon after IRS and FBI agents raided her homes and offices, Hogan called for her resignation.
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