On Wednesday, September 25 th , after several weeks of high-profile resignations within New York City’s government, Mayor Eric Adams became the first sitting mayor to be indicted on federal criminal charges. Mayor Adams faces five charges including bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national. The indictment alleges Adams engaged in illegal activities since 2014, when he was Brooklyn Borough President. “For nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him,” the indictment says.
Responding to the indictment, Adams said he was not surprised with the charges. He also encouraged New Yorkers to “wait to hear our defense before making any judgments,” adding, “I look forward to defending myself and defending the people of this city as I’ve done throughout my entire professional career.” He also added that he will not be resigning and his day-to-day responsibilities will not change. Adam’s attorney Alex Spiro said the mayor told his staffers to not accept foreign money. “The travel, the expenses, the flight they talk about is in 2017 – seven years ago, five years before he is mayor,” Spiro said. “There is nothing illegal or improper about that, but they don’t want you to look at that too long.” Adams was arraigned on Friday, September 27 th .
Unsurprisingly, Adams faced countless calls to resign from many elected officials. However, one of those calls was not from Governor Kathy Hochul. “This is an extraordinarily difficult day for New York City,” the Governor said in a statement released after the indictment. “I have carefully reviewed the indictment released by the United States Department of Justice. This indictment is the latest in a disturbing pattern of events that has, understandably, contributed to a sense of unease among many New Yorkers. Our judicial system is based on the foundational principle that all of us are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. Yet those of us who have chosen a career in elected office know that we’re held to a higher standard. Given the responsibility we hold as public servants, that’s entirely appropriate. New Yorkers deserve to know that their municipal government is working effectively, ethically and in the best
interests of the people – driving down crime, educating our kids and ensuring basic city services continue unabated. It’s now up to Mayor Adams to show the city that he is able to lead in that manner. My focus is on protecting the people of New York and ensuring stability in the city. While I review my options and obligations as the Governor of New York, I expect the mayor to take the next few days to review the situation and find an appropriate path forward to ensure the people of New York City are being well-served by their leaders. We must give New Yorkers confidence that there is steady, responsible leadership at every level of government.”
Governor Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office if she chooses. If she were to exercise that power, or if Adams were to resign, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would become acting Mayor. Williams would then have three days to call for a special election, which he could choose to run in, to be held within 80 days. That special election would be nonpartisan and would be done using ranked choice voting.