Oakland mayor blasts FBI raid on her home amid recall push: ‘I have done nothing wrong’

The mayor of Oakland was defiant saying she is “innocent” and confused about a recent FBI raid on her home as she fights to keep her political seat in the Bay Area.

“I want to be crystal clear, I have done nothing wrong. 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 I will not be charged with a crime because I am innocent,” Sheng Thao said during a Monday press conference.

On Thursday, FBI agents descended onto Thao’s home which she shares with her partner and family as well as three other properties associated with the family that runs California Waste Solutions – a company that collects recyclables for the city.

It is unclear what or who the target of the federal investigation is – or what Thao’s role may be, if any.

Though Thao defiantly proclaimed her innocence, the FBI raid is just the latest in a series of events that have led to public unease about her. The Oakland mayor, who is the first Hmong American mayor of a major city in the U.S., is also facing a recall vote in November.

Just two days before the FBI raid, a recall effort – largely led by a retired Alameda County Superior Court judge – qualified for the November ballot.

The group supporting the recall says Thao is responsible for the city’s rising crime rates. Robberies in the city grew 38 percent last year while motor vehicle theft jumped 44 percent,according to police data. Violent crime in the city rose 21 percent between 2022 and 2023.

On Wednesday alone,15 people were shot after a street takeover overshadowed a peaceful Juneteenth celebration.

The group attributes Thao’s firing of Black police chief LeRonne Armstrong and her administration’s failure to apply for a