Mayor Eric Adams criticized prosecutors and the U.S. government and said he would not resign as he addressed federal corruption charges against him for the first time on Thursday.
Adams, who appeared to be in good spirits, surrounded himself with local religious leaders as he addressed reporters outside Gracie Mansion just minutes after the 57-page indictment was unsealed. The mayor is accused of bribery, soliciting illegal campaign donations, and wire fraud as part of an alleged years-long relationship with Turkish officials.
“We are not surprised, we expected this, this is not surprising to us at all,” Adams said of the indictment, reiterating his stance that he is being “targeted” by the federal government. “I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments … I ask you to wait and hear our side to this narrative. 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 as the mayor mounted his first public defense after the indictment was unsealed, he was greeted by a boisterous group of opponents across the way from him who jeered Hizzoner and a number of supporters who spoke on his behalf. The opponents chanted “Resign!” loudly and repeatedly as Adams ended the press conference.
Federal officials raided Gracie Mansion early on Thursday morning, reportedly in search of the mayor’s phones — a mirror of a similar incident last fall, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized Adams’ phones and iPad as part of the corruption investigation.
“Today was about my phones, same thing that happened 10 months ago,” Adams said. “It’s an unfortunate day, and it’s a painful day. But outside of all of that, it’s a day we will finally reveal why for 10 months, I have gone through this. And I look forward to defending myself and defending the people of this city, as I’ve done throughout my entire professional career.”
The mayor was backed by Hazel Dukes, president of the New York chapter of the NAACP and former head of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation. Dukes said she and the other leaders present on Thursday would “stand by [Adams.]”
“We came this morning to pray for him because prayer changes things,” she said. “I am asking all New Yorkers today to hear his side, to let him have his day in court, then we can make our decisions.”
After being interrupted by protestors who called her a “political pawn,” Dukes said she and her fellow supporters were “calling on all New Yorkers to listen carefully, not to the loudmouths, but listen to facts and figures.”
Gerald Seabrooks, speaking on behalf of the United Clergy Coalition, said the mayor deserves “due process.”
“Just because an indictment comes against you does not mean that you are guilty,” he said. “Let the process go out like every American citizen has the right to do, if you don’t like him, don’t vote for him, but he’s not resigning, he’s not quitting, and we stand behind him, and say the community behind him, and we want him re-elected.”
As of Thursday morning’s press conference, Adams had not yet read the indictment, which had been released less than an hour before his appearance. Reportedly, the indictment had not been shared with him before news of the charges broke on Wednesday night.
He accused prosecutors of trying to carry out legal proceedings “publicly, rather than through the criminal justice system that’s in place,” and said it was a felony to share grand jury communications like the indictment.
“Based on what I read, it’s clear, if it’s campaign violations, I know I don’t violate campaign law,” he said. “If it’s foreign donors, I know I don’t take money from foreign donors.”
The mayor also said he would not step down, even as calls for resignation have poured in from local elected officials. He insisted that he could continue to run the city while his lawyers handle the criminal case.
“I was elected by the people of this city, over 700,000 strong,” he said, referring to the voters who turned out to vote for him in the 2021 mayoral election, a contest that had one of the lowest turnouts in recent memory. “This is a city that is extremely resilient, this is a city that we have gone through some difficult and hard times, we’re going to continue to move forward as a city.”
While at least three high-ranking officials have resigned or announced their intentions to resign from the administration this month — two of whom, former police commissioner Edward Caban and schools chancellor David Banks, were raided by federal officials several weeks ago — the mayor was unconcerned.
“The 300,000-plus employees of our city government will continue to do their job, because this is what we do as New Yorkers,” he said. “It is an insult to the hard-working New Yorkers of this city for anyone to say that they won’t do their jobs while this case proceeds in the background. They are dedicated public servants, and they will continue to do their jobs.”
The mayor on Thursday repeatedly said he had not violated campaign finance laws, and that he had told his team not to accept straw donations or foreign money. Scrutiny of his past campaigns, he claimed, has always showed that he follows the rules.
“The legal team can handle this as I handle the City of New York and continue the success and greatness of the last two years and nine months,” he said.
But not all were convinced. As the mayor walked back up the driveway to Gracie Mansion, protestors joined in a chorus of “Resign!” even as some protestors shouted their support for the mayor.
Kathleen Callen, a 62-year-old Upper East Side resident, said she thought many more New Yorkers would be outside the mayor’s residence on Thursday, calling for his resignation. She was surprised at how few civilians were present.
“He’s not giving any answers,” she said. “In the City of New York right now, there’s absolutely nobody taking care of us. Our board of education, medical guy, chancellors, the whole lot of them… they’re falling like a stack of cards. And he’s saying, I did nothing wrong.”
