On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams was slammed with five federal charges, including bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal campaign donations from abroad. But despite the charges, he was defiant and vowed to remain in office and urged New Yorkers to hear his version of the story. He is demanding his day in court, he says, to vindicate himself.
The Mayor stated that he was not surprised that it had come to this, claiming that this indictment is a form of political retribution by the Biden administration for having protested against their immigration policies and the aid that, in his view, they had denied New York. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shot down Adams’ claims at a press conference, reiterating that the DOJ is a completely independent agency.
The judge in charge of the case, Dale E. Ho, ordered Mayor Adams to appear for a hearing before a federal judge by noon on Friday. However, Adams’ lawyer has asked to postpone the hearing until early next week. Moreover, during the hearing Adams will be formally advised of his rights and is now expected to plead not guilty.
The investigation focuses on the allegations that the New York mayor collaborated with the Turkish government to accept illegal foreign campaign contributions in exchange for his defense.
The allegation, made public Thursday morning following a search of Mayor Eric Adams’ official residence, Gracie Mansion, comes from an investigation that was opened back in 2021. Prosecutors allege the scheme began during his term as Brooklyn’s elected official and continued after he took office as mayor
Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, claimed that Mayor Eric Adams was “inundated” with gifts, fully aware of their illegality.
“This was a multiyear scheme to buy favor with a single New York City politician on the rise: Eric Adams,” Williams said during a press conference. “Year after year, he kept the public in the dark.”
Despite mounting pressure from elected officials, Adams has made it clear he has no intention of resigning from office. “I ask New Yorkers to wait and listen to our defense,” stated Adams.
More specifically, the indictment alleges that at least since 2014, when he was Brooklyn borough president, Mayor Eric Adams “sought and accepted benefits of improper value”.
Prosecutors claimed these benefits included luxury travel, such as free and discounted Turkish Airlines tickets, as well as free meals and hotel stays, which were provided by wealthy foreigners and Turkish government officials.
Adams attempted to cover up the gifts or make it appear that he had paid for them; however, prosecutors estimated that the value of these gifts exceeded $100,000.
In return, Adams allegedly pressured New York City Fire Department officials to approve the construction of a new Turkish consulate building in Manhattan, despite safety issues being raised.
This is not the first time Adams’ administration has faced legal troubles; in recent months, several staff members have resigned due to these very events. Also, political pressure for Adams to step down has been mounting, even from within his own party.
New York State’s Democratic Governor, Kathy Hochul, who holds the authority to remove the mayor from office, has stated that she is closely monitoring the situation as it unfolds.
