Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on Monday got emotional as she spoke publicly for the first time since the FBI searched her home last Thursday, saying in short that she's done nothing wrong.
Thao spoke from Oakland City Hall during a scheduled news conference, starting with a short response to a multi-victim shooting near Lake Merritt. Then she addressed the FBI search at her home.
"I want to be crystal clear: I have done nothing wrong," Thao said in her opening remarks about the search. "I can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me. I have not been charged with a crime, and I am confident that I will not be charged with a crime because I am innocent."
Last Thursday, FBI agents carried boxes out of the home Thao shares with her son and partner. Agents also searched two homes owned by members of the politically influential Duong family that owns the recycling company Cal Waste Solutions.
NBC has learned the search of Thao's home was part of a multi-agency investigation that included the IRS and the United States Postal Inspection.
Thao said the timing of the very public search was suspicious as it came days after backers of a mayoral recall were informed by the city clerk that they had collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, likely in November.
Thao said she is being targeted because she didn't grow up rich and privileged.
"I want to know why the day following the qualification of a recall election, funded by some of the richest people in the Bay Area, seemed like the right day to execute a warrant," she said.
Backers of the recall say public safety and economic vitality have worsened under the politically progressive mayor, and that she should not have fired Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong.
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The city desperately needs “active, engaged and competent leadership” in this trying time, wrote Cynthia Adams, president of the Oakland chapter of the NAACP in an emailed statement.
“It is telling that no other city officials have defended the mayor, nor do any of them even seem to be in contact with her,” she said.
Recall organizers and supporters are also fighting back against Thao's claim that "right-winged forces" are fueling the recall effort.
"I have no power over, we have no power over the FBI, the IRS, the U.S. Postal Service," recall organizer Brenda Harbin-Forte said. "Those signatures that we gathered were not based on some kind of conspiracy. These are people, common, everyday people."
Recall supporters are also questioning how much Thao knew prior to the search, and they're calling for her immediate resignation.
"Oakland is headed for bankruptcy," Harbin-Forte said. "We are not going to survive this administration...We can not afford to keep her in."
NBC Bay Area political analyst Larry Gerston believes the lack of information from the FBI may also impact public perception.
"The FBI hasn't said a word one way or the other, so until they clarify this, her comments may fall short in terms of alleviating any concerns that city's residents may have," he said.
Despite questions and a growing chorus of detractors, Thao remains adamant that she will not resign.
"I will not be bullied, I will not be disparaged and I will not be threatened out of this office," she said.
Meanwhile, attorney Tony Brass is no longer representing Thao. While Brass said he was not aware of Monday's news conference, he claims it was not the reason why he is no longer representing Thao.
"She received my request very cordially and thanked me for my work," Brass said.
The mayor's office said she obtained new counsel over the weekend.
"I appreciate Tony Brass for providing me with initial legal guidance," Thao said in a statement. "He helped me better understand the investigation and my legal options. Over the weekend, I obtained new legal counsel and thanked Mr. Brass for his counsel. I will share the name of my new counsel once agreements are finalized."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
