On September 26, 2024, Eric Adams, the mayor of the most populated and arguably the most influential city in the United States, was publicly charged with bribery and campaign finance offenses. Adams could possibly face up to 45 years in prison. He is the first New York City Mayor to be charged with federal crimes while in office, and if he is found guilty, he could completely lose his position and ability to run for reelection.
What is Adams being charged with?
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, for over a decade, Eric Adams had “obtained personal benefits and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals” and other outside sources in return for “undue influence” over him, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Eric Adams’ infringements supposedly began in 2014, after he was elected Brooklyn Borough President in 2013. He started to pursue and accept unlawful benefits from influential businessmen and at least one Turkish government official, which progressed through 2020 when Adams publicly announced his candidacy for Mayor.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office goes on to explain that Adams “not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign from foreign nationals, as well as other things of value,” and in return, he would provide unjust treatment and favoritism for his foreign-national benefactors, which increased as his political influence grew, according to the United States Attorney’s Office. Even after being elected as the Mayor of New York City in 2021, he continued granting and planning illegal donations, specifically for his next mayoral campaign, from the same foreign relations and businessmen he previously received benefits from.
Adams would receive illicit campaign funding in the form of “nominee” or “straw” contributions, according to the United States Attorney’s Office. In these types of contributions, there are “true contributors,” who provide the funding, and “nominal donors,” who publicly pretend they are the source of a campaign contribution, while actually concealing the names of the “true contributors,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office. In Eric Adams’ situation, he illegally gained financial contributions from overseas “true contributors” who were falsely conveyed through U.S. “nominal donors,” successfully bypassing laws designed to prevent foreign influence in U.S. elections. Moreover, Adams also successfully evaded laws intended to limit the amount of money a person can donate to a political candidate, and laws designed to restrain corporate influence in politics by funneling donations through multiple employees to conceal the actual amount contributed.
He thereafter increased his financial donations through a New York City matching funds program “that matches small-dollar contributions from individual City residents with up to eight times their amount in public funds, to give New Yorkers a greater voice in elections,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office. Through this program and concealing his acceptance of straw contributions, his mayoral campaign gained over $10,000,000 in public funding.
Additionally, Adams gained luxury travel benefits for himself and his companions from a senior official in the Turkish diplomatic establishment (the “Turkish Official”), who was also a main “true contributor” in the funding of Adams’ mayoral campaign. He would “receive free or discounted travel on Turkey’s national airline (the “Turkish Airline”), which is owned in significant part by the Turkish Government, to many destinations, free rooms at opulent hotels, free meals at high-end restaurants, and free luxurious entertainment—while in Turkey,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office. In return for these benefits, Adams repaid the Turkish official by pressuring the New York City Fire Department to open a new 36-story Turkish consular skyscraper without a fire inspection when, at the time, the building would have failed the inspection. The FDNY official who inspected the building was threatened with being fired if he didn’t comply with falsifying the fire safety assessment for the skyscraper. Adams’ intervention in exchange for the travel-related bribes allowed for the skyscraper to successfully open without a fire inspection.
Throughout Adams’ felonies, he “repeatedly took steps to shield his solicitation and acceptance of these benefits from public scrutiny,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office. Adams’ attempts included paying nominal fees sometimes to create the illusion of paying for travel that was in reality significantly discounted rate, creating and directing others to fabricate fake paper trails to falsely indicate that he had paid, or intended to pay, for travel benefits, and deleting messages between co-conspirators and assuring them that he “always” deletes their messages. From 2014, he consistently concealed his briberies to seem as if he was complying with the law.
How do his criminal charges affect his position in office?
Mayor Eric Adams plans to run for his second term in June of next year, just a few weeks after his federal corruption trial begins in April 2025. He has currently pleaded not-guilty in his five counts of criminal charges. However, Mayor Adams being indicted will leave many New Yorkers to wonder whether Adams is suitable for the role of Mayor. New York Governor Kathy Hochul released a statement after the indictment was unsealed that underscores the questioning of Adams’ integrity, stating how our system “must give New Yorkers confidence that there is steady, responsible leadership at every level of government,” according to CBS. The uncertainty of whether Eric Adams is guilty of bribery will definitely lead to many voters feeling “unsure” of his capabilities as a candidate.
Nevertheless, Mayor Eric Adams may not be able to run for re-election based on the results of his upcoming trial. If he is found guilty, Governor Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office, but if he wins his case, she does not have the authority to do so. In a rare case, the Inability Committee has the power to remove Adams from office if they deem he isn’t fulfilling his duties as mayor. According to the non-profit newsroom Gothamist, The Inability Committee “consists of five positions: the corporation counsel, also known as the city’s top attorney; the comptroller; the City Council speaker; a deputy mayor picked by the mayor; and the longest serving borough president… at least four members must vote to remove the mayor.” Eric Adams has the ability to resign from his position as well; however, it is unlikely that he will, especially since he is running for reelection.
If Adams does leave his position, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, will serve as the acting mayor until the special election. As the New York Times explains, in the case of a special election, New Yorkers would choose a new mayor to complete the rest of Adams’ term. This election would be non-partisan and use ranked-choice voting, a system where voters rank candidates by preference.
Why does this matter if the trial is in April? How should New Yorkers respond to this situation?
Any level in our government system should be held to a higher level of integrity as they are under oath and are the chosen representatives of the people. Though Mayor Adams’ charges, as the United States Attorney’s Office states, are “merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven [guilty],” this situation should encourage New Yorkers to research and truly find the candidate they believe is best suited for the government and city they live in. Trust in our leaders is essential for maintaining the credibility of democracy and ensuring that government decisions are made with the people’s welfare in mind. As Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement on September 26, 2024, “New Yorkers deserve to know that their municipal government is working effectively, ethically, and in the best interests of the people.”