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New York City Mayor Eric Adams now shares an ignoble distinction with another famous New Yorker, Donald Trump. Just as Trump is the first former president ever indicted on criminal charges, Adams, too, was indicted on federal charges Wednesday for accepting campaign contributions, gifts, and other benefits from a foreign government.
According to federal prosecutors, beginning around 2014, the Turkish government treated Adams, a Democrat, to luxury stays at Istanbul hotels, gave him other gifts and benefits, and illegally donated to his 2021 mayoral campaign. In return, as mayor, Adams helped greenlight a new 36-story Turkish consulate in New York despite fire safety concerns, The New York Times reported. With Adams’ charges, he’s now the first New York City mayor indicted while in office.
Two days after Adams’ indictment was announced, the former New York City police captain pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, wire fraud, and taking illegal campaign donations. Adams said he would fight the charges and not resign. If convicted, he could go to prison. New York Governor Kathy Hochul could remove Adams from office through a complicated process, but early on, it was unclear if Hochul’s administration would choose to do so.
Airline travel and luxury hotel stays
Eric Adams was Brooklyn borough president before he was elected to New York City Hall in 2021. According to Adams’ indictment, long before he ran for mayor, the Turkish government offered Adams deals on Turkish airline flights and discounts on Istanbul hotel accommodations. Adams is also accused of accepting Turkish government campaign contributions but laundering the money through U.S. citizens. As a result, Adams was left open to receive millions in additional public campaign financing.
The Adams investigation began shortly after he took office. As far back as 2017, Adams was known to include Instanbul in his travel itinerary even when the city was not on his route. Allegedly, he also assured Turkish diplomats he would not speak out as mayor about the alleged 1915 Turkish genocide of Armenians, among other signs he was doing quid-pro-quo favors for Turkish officials.
Adams’ future is uncertain
Adams, 64, is up for reelection in 2025. Around the same time he was indicted, several New York City officials resigned or announced their retirement. Before he was indicted, the mayor’s phone, vehicles, official residence, and other electronic devices were searched and seized, along with the phones and devices of New York City officials close to him. New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and many other officials, including New York Governor Hochul, have called on Adams to step down.
Adams was elected on a tough-on-crime platform as New York City recovered from the COVID pandemic. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said that Adams “kept the public in the dark” about gifts and other benefits he received from the Turkish government and instructed his staff to seek out “foreign money.” More charges related to the case may be coming, Williams added.
After his arraignment hearing, Adams said, “I’m the mayor of the city of New York. From here, my attorneys will take care of the case so I can take care of the city. My day-to-day will not change. I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million New Yorkers that I was elected to do.”