The mayor of New York, Democrat Eric Adams, who was accused on Thursday of five crimes of corruption, officially pleaded before the court this Friday “not guilty” – the equivalent of innocent in the US legal formula – to accept donations to his campaign by Turkish officials, for an approximate amount of 100,000 dollars (almost 90,000 euros), while the governor of New York, also a Democrat Kathy Hochul, assesses the options available to her to stop the scandal: the 110th councilor of the city is the first accused in its history. An obvious paradox for someone who became mayor defending the discourse of law and order. Calls for his resignation are also increasing among the city’s Democrats.
Accused of one count of electronic fraud, another of conspiracy, two of soliciting a contribution from a foreign citizen and one of bribery, Adams, converted into an alleged “foreign matter”, appeared today before the investigating judge while public opinion summarizes in a single sentence his reaction to the case: “You could see it coming.” The mayor’s lifestyle, his attendance at luxury clubs and restaurants, and his frequent trips abroad—from Israel to Central America or the Far East—had caught the attention of neighbors and, above all, many district councilors, like the Democrat. Gale Brewer, who already in 2020 warned that the future councilor was always on vacation.
The mayor, 64, was released without bail on condition that he does not contact witnesses or people named in the indictment of the federal prosecutor’s office for the southern district of Manhattan. In the indictment, filed Thursday, prosecutors allege that Turkish diplomats and businessmen illegally funneled money to Adams’ campaign and showered him with luxuries, including business class travel, stays at opulent hotels and meals at posh restaurants; perks whose value exceeded $100,000 and which date back to 2014, when the former police captain served as Brooklyn borough president, a role that was more ceremonial than executive. In exchange for these benefits, Adams pressured municipal authorities in 2021 to allow the opening of a new 36-story Turkish consulate, despite the security flaws detected.
The councilor, who assures that he does not plan to resign, is scheduled to appear in court again next Wednesday so that his lawyer, Alex Spiro, can request the withdrawal of the charges, based in his opinion on the “false accusation” of a former municipal employee.
Governor Hochul is “reviewing options” to plug the waterway opened in the ranks of New York Democrats by Adams’ impeachment. The November 2022 midterm elections were a setback for Joe Biden’s party due to the unexpected advance of the Republicans, who with the four seats won in the State contributed to giving control of the House of Representatives to their party. New York is and has traditionally been a blue State, but victory over the Republicans is no longer taken for granted, especially in the suburbs of some counties of the city and other residential areas of the State.
The New York City charter gives Hochul the power to suspend and remove Adams from office, although so far the politician has limited herself to declaring in a statement that she has “carefully” reviewed the accusation and that “New Yorkers “They deserve to know that their municipal government is working effectively, ethically and in the interest of the people.” Although he did not ask, at least publicly, for Adams’ resignation, he did urge him to “show the city that he is capable of leading in that way.”
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“As I review my options and obligations as governor of New York, I hope the mayor will take the next few days to analyze the situation and find an appropriate path forward to ensure that the people of New York are being well served by their leaders,” Hochul added. . If Adams were replaced – at least for the moment a voluntary resignation is excluded – the city’s Ombudsman, the progressive Democrat Jumaane Williams, would be named interim mayor. A well-marked political profile compared to the colorless political figure of Adams.
The chorus of Democratic voices calling for Adams to step aside continues to grow, aware that any reputational crisis like the one affecting the mayor’s office – in the eye of the hurricane for the last month with a cascade of resignations due to four other investigations for corruption – and by extension the party can lose votes at the polls in November. Jerry Nadler, a Manhattan representative and top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, today called on Adams to resign, joining calls from top city officials and lawmakers, with progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the helm. head. The two highest-ranking New York Democrats, the leader of the Senate, Chuck Schumer, and the leader of the Democratic minority in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, are however silent.
