It’s no joke. Mayor Eric Adams urged a Manhattan judge Monday to move up the start of his corruption trial by three weeks — coincidentally to April Fool’s Day — saying a later trial date would hamper his re-election bid. The federal charges against Hizzoner — involving him allegedly gobbling up $123,000 in travel perks from Turkish nationals before helping to fast-track the opening of the Turkish consulate building — “will continue to cast a cloud” over his campaign “until it is resolved by a jury of New Yorkers,” Adams’ lawyer wrote in a federal court filing.
The lawyer, Alex Spiro, asked Judge Dale Ho to move up Adams’ trial date from April 21 to April 1, which would allow for a resolution in the case with more room to spare before June’s Democratic primary. Of course, Adams’ re-election bid could be predicated on him being found not guilty or at least escaping prison time if convicted. The 64-year-old mayor’s filing notes that several key dates in his 2021 campaign — which the feds say was propped up with tens of thousands of dollars in illegal donations from Turks — unfolded during the same time period that year when Adams is slated to be at his corruption trial this time around.
The second mayoral debate in 2021, for example, occurred May 13. If such an event were held around that same time this year, it would conflict with what’s expected to be Adams’ month-long trial over whether he is guilty of charges of wire fraud, bribery, and .