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 .