Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pick to lead the city’s government corruption watchdog was grilled by local lawmakers for donating and volunteering for his campaign during a tense back-and-forth Monday.
Nadia Shihata, a former federal prosecutor nominated by Hizzoner as Department of Investigation commissioner, faced pointed questions from City Council members during her confirmation hearing about her ties to the new mayor and her ability to be independent.
Shihata revealed that she contributed four times, for a total of $700, to the democratic socialist’s insurgent mayoral campaign last year and that it marked her first time donating to a candidate in city or state elections.
Councilwoman Nantasha Williams (D-Queens) noted that heads of the oversight body have traditionally abstained from donating to the mayors appointing them — before pressing Shihata on any other campaign involvement.
Shihata admitted that she’d also canvassed for Mamdani’s campaign once, knocking on doors one night for “around an hour,” in addition to the donations.
“As an elected official myself it’s so easy to get someone to donate a couple of dollars, but when it comes to actually having people physically knock doors, I find that the people that have canvassed really, really are committed to what I’m doing versus the people that donate money,” Williams emphasized.
Shihata — who served in the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for 11 years — defended her ability to remain impartial when pressed by Williams on whether she had a pre-existing bias in favor of the mayor.
“I think anyone who knows me or who has worked with me knows my level of professionalism and integrity over my 20-year career, and that I will approach every investigation, including any that may involve the mayor or any senior officials in his administration,” she said.
The DOI assisted the feds in the September 2024 indictment of then-Mayor Eric Adams — prior to the Department of Justice dropping the charges against him — as well as in other corruption related probes involving City Hall.
Federal elections records show Shihata has made nearly $5,000 in contributions since 2008 to various Democratic and lefty politicians over the last decade, including to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez and former congressman and fire alarm aficionado Jamaal Bowman.
Shihata was also questioned during the hearing about her relationship with the mayor’s chief counsel and top legal advisor Ramzi Kassem, as his position would fall under the DOI’s purview.
Shihata testified that she applied for the position at DOI after Kassem reached out to her to gauge her interest, though claimed she had thought about vying for it when news broke days earlier that Adams-era Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber was leaving the top perch.
“He didn’t encourage me to apply. He didn’t ask me to apply. He asked me if I was interested. I considered whether I was, and then I submitted an application,” she said.
Shihata stated that she has known Kassem professionally since she graduated law school in 2003 but downplayed their relationship during the hearing.
“We have seen each other periodically, once every few years, maybe exchanged a few emails once every few years,” she said.
Shihata also ruled out immediately recusing herself of any investigation dealing with Kassem, instead saying that she would only do so if advised by the DOI’s internal chief counsel.
Senior City Hall spokesperson Dora Pekec defended Mamdani’s pick in a statement.
“The Mayor was proud to nominate Nadia Shihata for DOI Commissioner because of her demonstrated integrity, her extensive experience as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and her track record of rooting out corruption throughout her career,” she said.
The Bill de Blasio-era DOI commissioner Mark Peters is one of the few examples where the oversight head had donated to the mayoral administration appointing them.
