Today marks the first of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ self-styled “off-topic” press conferences since his indictment on federal charges last week. The Adams administration famously does not accept questions that are not related to the subject of any particular press briefing; instead funneling such inquiries to a weekly press conference every Tuesday morning. The mayor is due back in federal court tomorrow after being arraigned last Friday.
When asked how he was going to manage his responsibilities as mayor with the being in and out of federal court, Adams was direct and clear in stating that he was not stepping down. One reporter brought up the question of having an acting mayor step into his position for the duration of the trial, to which he answered “I don’t need an acting mayor because I’m an actual mayor.” Adams stated that his staff meetings have not been affected, and that “once we had a foundational conversation, we moved on.” Addressing these concerns multiple times, the mayor leaned on language about overcoming adversity that has become his trademark. “What message would I be sending to the city of New York?” he asked rhetorically about calls for him to step down. “Obstacles don’t stop me, they strengthen me […] In spite of all those difficult moments I am the mayor of New York.”
As expected, Adams remained tight-lipped on questions relating to the charges he’s facing. The former Brooklyn borough president had implied recently that he is being targeted by the federal government due to his criticisms over the influx of migrants into the city: “despite our pleas, when the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics.” Asked multiple times to confirm whether he thought the DOJ or Biden was targeting him, the mayor frequently cited his lawyers’ advice not to speak on the matter, a comment that was usually followed up with a statement that “information will show that I do not break laws.”
The only concrete answer the mayor provided concerning the case was a clear refutation of the charges against him: “I’m hopeful because I did nothing wrong.” He also put to bed questions that he might not trust the federal judicial system, while avoiding an expression of confidence in federal judges and prosecutors: “I trust the system of justice in this country because you are judged by your peers.”
Adams also called questions surrounding nature of the gifts he received from Turkish nationals “inappropriate,” citing the ongoing “legal process.” The federal indictment against him states that he pressured a fire chief to confirm the safety of a Turkish consular building despite it not being up to code. That said, the mayor did answer a question about his flights on Turkish Airlines, confirming that their first class does indeed offer “great service.”
