In the wake of revelations that Mayor Eric Adams was personally subpoenaed last month by federal authorities in connection with an ongoing probe into his 2021 campaign, the mayor insisted he and his campaign did “nothing wrong,” while also comparing subpoenas to public records requests that his office routinely receives.
In addition to the mayor, City Hall and his 2021 campaign were hit with three subpoenas in July — news first reported by the New York Times on Thursday night. With the recently served subpoenas, federal investigators are requesting text messages, other forms of communications and documents related to travel and fundraising by the mayor and some of his close aides, according to the Times’ report.
The report also revealed that the federal investigation began in 2021 and appears to be nearing its conclusion.
Adams, during an unrelated Friday afternoon news conference, briefly addressed the subpoenas in prepared remarks and took some questions on the development.
“I’ve made it clear over and over again, I’m a former law enforcement person, we know the rules, I follow the rules and I’m going to continue to do so,” Adams said. “Any information we can give to show that we complied with the rules, we’re going to do that. This is all part of the process, we’re going to follow that process.”
Neither the mayor nor his campaign have been accused of any wrongdoing.
The investigation into Adams’ campaign is being helmed by the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan and the FBI. It first became public in November, when federal agents searched the homes of Adams campaign operatives and aides, including his former chief fundraiser — Brianna Suggs.
Shortly after that, federal agents seized two of the mayor’s phones and his iPad on a Manhattan street.
Lisa Zornberg, the mayor’s chief counsel and a former prosecutor with the Manhattan US Attorney’s office, said subpoenas are an “incredibly common tool for gathering evidence and documents.”
“They are frequently issued, even when parties are giving documents voluntarily, that is incredibly common,” she said.
Zornberg also said she personally “has no knowledge” of anyone under federal scrutiny testifying in front of a grand jury. However, in June the Daily News and New York Post both reported in early June that a grand jury was reviewing evidence in the case.
Adams also curiously compared the subpoenas from federal law enforcement officials to Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests his administration regularly receives from members of the public, during a Thursday evening interview on ABC7. However, FOIL’s can be, and often are, stalled or ignored by government bodies, while ignoring a subpoena carries legal penalties.
“We get countless numbers of FOILs, thousands of FOILs, we get from all over the city,” Adams said. “We don’t broadcast each one we get. That’s the same thing when you get a subpoena. you respond to it appropriately and accordingly. That is exactly what we are doing.”
Adams’ remarks came after his attorney Brendan McGuire said Thursday night that his law firm WilmerHale had conducted its own investigation of the areas it believes federal prosecutors are looking into.
“Our investigation has included an evaluation of campaign documents, an analysis of tens of thousands of electronic communications, and witness interviews,” McGuire said. “To be clear, we have not identified any evidence of illegal conduct by the Mayor. To the contrary, we have identified extensive evidence undermining the reported theories of federal prosecution as to the Mayor, which we have voluntarily shared with the US Attorney. We continue to cooperate with the investigation and are in the process of responding to the recently issued subpoenas.”
While much is still unknown about the federal probe, it is clear that investigators are at least in part looking into whether the mayor’s 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish government to funnel illegal foreign donations into its coffers. They are also reportedly looking at whether Adams used his position as Brooklyn Borough President, after he had secured the Democratic nomination for mayor in the fall of 2021, to expedite approvals for a Midtown Turkish consulate building.
Furthermore, Rana Abasova, another Adams staffer whose home was raided by the feds on the same day as Suggs’, is reportedly cooperating with investigators. She has been placed on leave from her role at the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs.
