A federal indictment against New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) is expected to soon be unsealed, after investigations intensified around his administration in recent months. In a video message Wednesday night, he said any federal charges would be “entirely false,” and vowed to stay in office.
Here’s what we know about the 110th mayor of America’s largest city and the indictment against him in Manhattan federal court.
Who is Eric Adams and why was he indicted?
- Adams was elected Mayor of New York in 2021. A retired police captain, he ran as an advocate for the working class, with a focus on stamping out crime. The city’s second Black mayor, Adams grew up in Brooklyn and Queens and struggled with poverty and police harassment in his youth, according to his official biography. He subsequently joined the New York Police Department “and became one of its most outspoken officers, calling out racism and bias in the department and pushing for major reforms,” it said.
- Federal prosecutors in New York have obtained an indictment against Adams, a person familiar with the investigation told The Post on Wednesday. An indictment is a document approved by a grand jury that formally spells out a charge or charges against someone before they can be prosecuted. The New York Times reported that the charges against Adams, which have not been made public, are tied to a corruption investigation that began in 2021.
- Reports that an indictment was coming emerged as investigations have intensified around the Adams administration in recent months. Allies had their phones seized and homes searched, and several have resigned. But aspects of the apparently wide-ranging probe are still unclear.
- Adams has denied the anticipated charges and pledged to continue leading New York as the investigation unfolds.
What problems have plagued his administration?
In recent weeks, Adams’s administration has seen a flurry of high-profile resignations, among them Lisa Zornberg, Adams’s top legal counsel, who stood down abruptly this month, as well as the head of New York City’s public schools system, David Banks, who announced that he would retire at the end of the year.
Adams’s former police commissioner Edward Caban, whose devices were collected by federal authorities for examination and his home searched by investigators, also stepped down this month.
Adams and his team have denied any wrongdoing.
Previously, Adams’s phones were seized last year by federal agents who were looking for potential improper ties between his campaign and the Turkish government, The Post reported. An Adams campaign worker, Brianna Suggs, had her Brooklyn home searched around that time and agents seized smartphones, computers and a folder labeled “Eric Adams,” according to the Times, though Suggs was not accused of wrongdoing.
The investigation focused in part on whether Adams pushed the New York Fire Department to green-light the opening of a new Turkish consulate near the United Nations headquarters despite safety concerns relating to the building, the Times reported.
The investigation has cast doubt on Adams’s ability to win reelection as his party prepares for a primary in June.
What has the reaction been so far?
Adam issued a video message late Wednesday outlining his innocence and pledging to remain in office.
“I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you, that I would be a target,” he said, dismissing possible charges as false and “based on lies.”
“For months, leaks and rumors have been aimed at me in attempt to undermine my credibility and paint me as guilty,” he said. “Enough. I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit. If I’m charged, I know I am innocent. I will request an immediate trial so New Yorkers can hear the truth.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has so far been the most prominent Democratic voice calling for Adams to resign.
“I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City,” she wrote on X, noting that a “flood of resignations” were threatening government function.
“Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration,” she said. “For the good of the city, he should resign.”
New York Comptroller Brad Lander (D), who is second in line behind the city’s public advocate to take over for Adams if he resigns or is removed from office, and who has announced his intentions to run for mayor in 2025, called it a “sad day for New Yorkers.”
“It is clear that defending himself against serious federal charges will require a significant amount of the time and attention needed to govern this great city,” Lander said of Adams. “The most appropriate path forward is for him to step down so that New York City can get the full focus its leadership demands.”
What’s going to happen next?
Adams in his video Wednesday made clear that he would not stand down. “If I am charged, many may say I should resign because I cannot manage the city while fighting the case … but I have been facing these lies for months,” he said. “Make no mistake, you elected me to lead this city, and lead it I will.”
But it’s not clear whether his position is tenable.
If he chooses to resign or if he is removed from office by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), the city’s public advocate, Jumaane D. Williams, will take over until a special election is held. William Gerlich, a spokesman for Williams, said in a statement that news of the indictment was “incredibly serious.”
“As the facts emerge, the Public Advocate will have more to say to the people of New York City, and right now, he is focused on how best to ensure that New Yorkers can regain trust, confidence and stability in city government,” Gerlich said.