Chief of Staff to NYC's First Lady Will Take Leave of Absence

First lady Chirlane McCray's chief-of-staff, Rachel Noerdlinger, will take an indefinite leave of absence to spend more time with her son after he was arrested on trespassing charges Friday.

"These past two months have been extremely difficult for both of us," said Noerdlinger in a statement. "His arrest on Friday heightens the need for me to devote my full attention to Khari, my number one priority."

Noerdlinger's personal life has been the subject of numerous news stories after DNAinfo New York reported her live-in boyfriend had served prison time for manslaughter, engaged in drug trafficking, and openly criticized the NYPD on social media.

Noerdlinger also came under scrutiny for reportedly failing to disclose that information on her official background check. Police unions and some newspaper columnists called for Noerdlinger's dismissal after the revelations surfaced. But Mayor Bill de Blasio was quick to defend her, saying he had “absolute faith” in her.

Speaking at press event at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Monday, de Blasio suggested Noerdlinger's departure was the product of a politically-motivated attack on his progressive agenda.

"A lot of really nasty stuff was done here, it’s clearly for a purpose. It’s quite obvious," de Blasio said.

"Why would so much attention be paid to one person and her personal life? It’s clearly a pretty systematic effort to undermine certain work that’s being done." 

If she decides to return to the administration, it's not clear what Noerdlinger's role would be.

"The actual Chief of Staff role will need to be filled," said de Blasio, adding, "but there's plenty of important work to be done and she brings a lot to the table."

Back in October, several prominent black women, including the head of the New York NAACP Hazel Dukes, came to Noerdlinger's defense saying she was being targeted because she was black.

But Christina Greer, an assistant professor of political science at Fordham University, said that's only part of the story. 

"On the one hand, it does seem a little bit like nonsense in the sense that this is a private matter that she'll be dealing with. But on the other as someone who has such a high profile in the administration and such an important job and such a well paid job ... this is something the mayor does have to deal with," Greer added.

Noerdlinger's salary is $170,000 a year, according to The New York Times and other media outlets.

In a statement, Patrick Lynch, head of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, said he hopes her replacement appreciates the NYPD 's role and won't bring an anti-police bias to the table.

Noerdlinger is a former spokeswoman for the Rev. Al Sharpton.

With reporting from the Associated Press.