NEW YORK (AP) — Attorneys for New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged a federal judge Monday to dismiss the bribery charge brought last week, accusing “zealous prosecutors” of leveling an “extraordinarily vague allegation” that does not rise to the level of a federal crime. Adams, a Democrat, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he accepted lavish travel benefits and illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals in exchange for political favors that included pushing through the opening of a Turkish consulate building. He has vowed to continue serving as mayor while fighting the charges “with every ounce of my strength and my spirit.
” In a motion filed Monday, the mayor’s attorneys described the bribery charge — one of five counts he faces — as meritless, arguing that “zealous prosecutors” had failed to show an explicit quid pro quo between Adams and Turkish officials. Rather, defense attorneys wrote, Adams was simply helping an important foreign nation cut through the city’s red tape. According to the indictment, Adams sent three messages to the fire commissioner in September 2021 urging him to expedite the opening of the 36-story Manhattan consulate building, which fire safety inspectors said was not safe to occupy, ahead of an important state visit by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Those messages came after Adams had accepted flight upgrades and luxury hotel stays worth tens of thousands of dolla.
