New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted in a Manhattan federal prosecutor’s investigation into the financing of his victorious 2021 campaign, The New York Times reported Tuesday night. The newspaper did not specify the grounds for the indictment, but the 64-year-old mayor has been under investigation for several months over accusations of illegal donations from construction companies linked to Turkey.
The indictment comes after several of the mayor’s associates resigned in recent days. On Tuesday, even before the announcement, New York House of Representatives representative and left-wing figure Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on the 64-year-old mayor to resign, “for the good of the city.”
Eric Adams said he was “innocent” Tuesday night. “I always knew that if I stood up for New Yorkers, I would be a target – and I have been,” he said in a statement. “If charged, I am innocent and I will fight with all my might and spirit,” he added.
New York City Hall has seen a flurry of cases in recent months. At least four federal investigations are underway, including three by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, targeting the mayor and his associates.
Series of resignations
This week, Adams’ team was rocked by the resignations of city Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan and Education Chancellor David C. Banks, an Adams close associate who oversees the city’s public education system, which includes a million students. Police Chief Edward Caban had already resigned earlier in September, just a year after taking over the 36,000-strong New York Police Department.
Eric Adams won the 2021 Democratic primary on a promise to curb crime, which had spiked in New York during the Covid pandemic. He has credited a decline in violent crime, but New Yorkers are also grappling with rising living costs and a housing crisis that has driven rents to record highs. By late 2023, his approval rating had fallen to a record low of 28% in one poll. In that context, several rivals have declared themselves candidates for a party primary in 2025.
