The Democratic mayor of New York, Eric Adams, has just been accused of corruption by Manhattan federal prosecutor Damian Williams. The indictment, unveiled Thursday, accuses the mayor of having been “sprayed” for years with bribes, particularly in connection with acts of electronic fraud, illegal solicitation of campaign contributions from a foreign person, and accepting bribes from a Turkish official.
In exchange, Eric Adams would have used his influence to favor a project to build a skyscraper intended to house Turkey’s mission to the United Nations as well as its consulate general, according to a court document of more than 50 pages. In this case, the mayor would have received more than 100,000 dollars, specifies the New York Times.
Showered with gifts in secret
At a press conference, Damian Williams said the mayor had “hid from the public that he was being showered with gifts in secret” and had kept “the public in the dark year after year.” He added that what is alleged in the indictment, including “foreign money, corporate money, years of concealment,” showed that Eric Adams had seriously broken “the bond of trust with the public.”
Faced with these accusations, calls for the mayor’s resignation have multiplied, notably from several elected Democrats in New York, putting more pressure on Eric Adams, already weakened by a drop in popularity. According to Jocelyn Strauber, commissioner of the city’s Department of Investigation, this is “the first time in the modern history of New York City” that a sitting mayor has faced criminal charges.
The mayor rejects all accusations
The mayor firmly rejected these accusations, saying he was “impatient”, during a press briefing organized in front of his residence, which was searched earlier in the day. “I always knew that if I defended the interests of New Yorkers, I would be a target – and I became one,” he defended. He promised to continue serving New Yorkers, ruling out any possibility of resigning for now. However, this indictment represents a serious blow to his career, especially since several legal investigations are already underway against him.
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Some New York voters feel betrayed by Eric Adams. “I voted for him because he was a former police officer, I thought the city needed him. And I found that having a black mayor was very positive after the “Black Lives Matter” movement. But it’s a disappointment. He must resign,” Bartholomew Bland told AFP.
Numerous calls for resignation
The resignation of Eric Adams is now a hot topic, especially since several of his close allies within the municipal administration have already left their positions in the wake of the various ongoing federal investigations. Among them are its health commissioner and education chancellor, as well as police chief Edward Caban, who resigned in September 2023.
One of the most influential voices calling for the mayor’s resignation is that of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of Congress and an emblematic figure of the progressive left. She had asked Eric Adams to leave office “for the good of the city” even before the official announcement of his indictment. Since then, several other elected Democrats have joined this call, adding to the growing pressure on the mayor. Quoted by the New York Times, Hakeem Jeffries, leader of the Democrats and elected representative from New York to the House of Representatives, explained that “a jury of the mayor’s peers will now evaluate the accusations contained in the indictment and finally render a decision.”
An impact on the presidential election
This situation could also have broader political repercussions, at a critical time for the Democratic Party, a few weeks before the 2024 presidential election pitting Kamala Harris against Republican Donald Trump. Eric Adams, an African-American former police captain, was elected mayor in 2021, largely on his promise to restore security to the city as crime soared during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite a slight decline in violent crime under his tenure, New York faces other major crises, including soaring housing prices and a cost-of-living crisis that has worsened conditions for New Yorkers.
