Attorney: Baltimore Mayor Not 'Lucid' Enough to Resign

Gov. Hogan urges Catherine Pugh to step down
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 26, 2019 2:50 AM CDT
Attorney: Baltimore Mayor Not 'Lucid' Enough to Resign
Baltimore police officers stand outside the house of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD, Thursday, April 25, 2019.   (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Embattled Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh is too ill to decide whether to heed calls for her resignation, her attorney says. The Democrat, who has been on paid leave since April 1, now has bronchitis as well as pneumonia and isn't "lucid" enough to make the decision, attorney Steve Silverman told reporters Thursday, hours after federal agents raided Pugh's offices and two homes she owns. Silverman said Pugh, who is being investigated by the FBI and the IRS over sales of her "Healthy Holly" children's books to city entities, is likely to make the decision next week, the Baltimore Sun reports. "She is leaning toward making the best decision in the best interest in the citizens of Baltimore City," Silverman said.

Pugh "is generally aware that there is a consensus that she should resign," but "for people to make material decisions in their life, they have to be at a certain level of stability," Silverman said. The attorney said Pugh was home at the time of the raid and met with her legal team afterward, CBS Baltimore reports. He said the mayor is saddened that people feel she has let the city down. Gov. Larry Hogan called for Pugh's resignation after the raids. "More than ever, Baltimore City needs strong and responsible leadership," he tweeted Thursday. "Mayor Pugh has lost the public trust. She is clearly not fit to lead. For the good of the city, Mayor Pugh must resign." State lawmakers and the Baltimore city council have also urged Pugh to step down. (More Baltimore stories.)

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