Eric Adams’ lawyer has claimed people “do this all the time” during a press conference as he denied five criminal charges the mayor is facing. Mr Adams was indicted this morning on charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. Alex Spiro, the mayor’s lawyer, told reporters that the allegations are part of a smear campaign against the beleaguered mayor.
“They want to tarnish him. They want to tarnish him in your eyes,” Mr Spiro said. “There’s no corruption, this is not a real case.
we’re going to see everyone in court.” Mr Adams is due to be arraigned in a federal court either tomorrow or on Monday but has vowed to fight on. The indictment means that the former police captain, 64, who was elected three years ago on a platform of cutting crime, has become the first sitting New York mayor to face criminal charges.
It follows a public corruption investigation that began in 2021 and looked into allegations that the Turkish government illegally funneled money into his election campaign. 11:42 PM BST That’s all for now Thanks for following our live coverage of the criminal charges brought against Eric Adams. This live blog is now closed.
11:29 PM BST Trump wishes Adams ‘luck’ Donald Trump has wished Eric Adams luck after the New York mayor suggested he was being prosecuted by Joe Biden’s administration. “We have people that use the Justice Department, and the FBI, at levels that have never been seen before,” said Trump, .
