New York City Mayor Eric Adams sits in federal court during his arraignment after he was charged with bribery and illegally soliciting a campaign contribution from a foreign national, in New York City, U.S. September 27, 2024 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS
The police commissioner resigned on Sept. 12 after FBI agents seized his phone. Days later, Adams’ top legal adviser stepped down.
Jerry Nadler, a U.S. Representative from Manhattan and the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, on Friday called on Adams to resign, joining a growing chorus of prominent city officials and lawmakers.
But two powerful Democratic lawmakers from Brooklyn, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, stopped short of doing so.
Adams could be removed from office by Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul, but the process is complicated, said Pace University Law School professor Bennett Gershman.
Hochul on Thursday said she would “review my options and obligations as the governor of New York.”
‘FIRST STOP IS ALWAYS ISTANBUL’
The alleged scheme dates back to 2014, when Adams became Brooklyn borough president, prosecutors said.
According to the indictment, Adams accepted free travel from Turkish Airlines worth tens of thousands of dollars while serving as Brooklyn borough president and paid $600 to stay two nights at a luxury suite in the St. Regis hotel in Istanbul, well below the actual cost of $7,000.
Prosecutors said Adams would fly on Turkish Airlines even when it was inconvenient. “You know first stop is always Istanbul,” he wrote in a 2017 text message when his partner expressed surprise that they were flying from New York to Paris through Istanbul, according to the indictment.
Turkish Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Adams also allegedly accepted foreign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, which is illegal.
Prosecutors say Adams responded to Turkish concerns.
Acting on a request by a Turkish diplomat, Adams pressured city safety inspectors to allow the country’s new consulate to open in time for a September 2021 visit by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, even though it would have failed a fire inspection, the indictment said.
Adams notified the diplomat when the Fire Department approved the building to open later in the day, the indictment said.
“You are a true friend of Turkey,” the diplomat allegedly responded.
Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Additional reporting by Aleksandra Michalska; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Jonathan Oatis, Daniel Wallis and Bill Berkrot
