Gotham for Sale … to Turkey?
Not looking good for Mayor Adams
NY Mayor Eric Adams took a bite out of the Big Apple of temptation and is choking now, charged with foreign taking bribes, campaign donations, luxury items and more
New York politics is exploding this week as its Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on charges of bribery, wire fraud, and seeking illegal campaign donations from foreign sources. In the latest revelations, gleaned from an unsealed indictment on Thursday, the Democratic mayor allegedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars from Turkish companies and the Turkey government before, during, and after his campaign in 2021. Not surprisingly, the Turks allegedly started asking for favors immediately after Adams won his election to what is probably the most powerful mayoral seat in the United States.
In a press conference the mayor was defiant. “I’m the mayor of the city of New York. From here, my attorneys will take care of the case so I can take care of the city. My day-to-day will not change. I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million New Yorkers that I was elected to do.”
But the accusations against him come amid a litany of other scandals in which U.S. politicians can’t seem to say no to foreign influence, whether it be direct campaign contributions or luxury gifts, all in exchange for serving as a conduit for foreign interests in Washington, or in Adams’ case, the Big Apple.
To talk more about this are my Quincy Institute colleagues Ben Freeman and Nick Cleveland-Stout. They both focus on campaign finance corruption, foreign influence, lobbying, transparency and the revolving door for our organizations Democratizing Foreign Policy project.
From Nick and Ben:
From Ben Freeman:
NYC Mayor Adams charged in illegal foreign $$ scheme
Report: Razzle dazzle Deion's staff made play for Saudi cash
Menendez's corruption is just the tip of the iceberg
From Nick Cleveland-Stout:
Witnesses backed by military, foreign $$ hype war with Iran