New York City Mayor Eric Adams spent Sunday praising God and vowing not to resign.
Rather, the Democratic mayor is facing federal indictment on charges Solicit illegal campaign donations “I'm going to rule,” he said, citing information from a foreign organization and falsifying a paper trail to cover it up, according to the New York Post.
Adams spoke for about 30 minutes to members of the Emanuel Presbyterian Reformed Church in the Bronx, but then declined to answer questions from reporters. The Post reported.
“God put me in this moment and put it in my heart to keep moving this city forward,” Adams said Sunday. “And you'll hear a few vocal people saying, 'But he should resign.' No, I'm going to stand up, I'm not going to resign, I'm going to govern.”
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Eric Adams of New York City sits next to his attorney Alex Spiro in federal court during his arraignment on charges of bribery and solicitation of illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals on September 27, 2024 in New York City. mayor. This courtroom sketch. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
The paper also reported Monday morning that Adams' legal team filed a motion Dropping bribery charges from federal indictment. The charges allege that Mr. Adams was granted a contract in 2021 and 2022 in exchange for allowing the New York City Fire Department to clear the 36-story Turkebi Center, also known as the Turkish House, despite fire safety concerns. He is accused of accepting bribes for luxury travel.
Federal investigators were investigating whether Adams' 2021 and 2025 mayoral campaigns colluded with Turkish officials, business leaders and other groups to illegally raise funds, according to the indictment. Court documents allege misconduct dating back to 2016.
“Despite the fact that the indictment in many other respects reproduces quotes from messages, emails, and conversations, the specific exchanges in which Adams and Turkish officials entered into this purported quid pro quo arrangement or any conversation,” his lawyers said. According to the paper, he wrote:
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View of Turkevi Center, home of Turkey's Permanent Mission to the United Nations and Consulate General in New York. Construction wrapped on August 18th in New York City, where it will be surrounded by other skyscrapers ahead of its opening. , 2021. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Adams is accused of defrauding taxpayers of $10 million over the past decade and frequently taking advantage of free or heavily discounted vacations funded by foreign benefactors.
Adams released a video statement calling any accusations against him “absolutely false and based on lies” and implying the criticisms were “lies.” Biden administration's disastrous border policies made him a target for retaliation.
“The federal government did nothing because broken immigration policies overloaded the shelter system with no relief,” he said in a video statement. “I put the people of New York over political parties and politics.”
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams and attorney Alex Spiro speak to the media as they leave federal court following Adams' arraignment in Lower Manhattan on Friday, September 27, 2024. Adams faces five federal charges, including conspiracy, wire fraud and two counts of criminal mischief. Soliciting donations or bribery by foreigners. (Umar Abbasi, Fox News Digital)
Investigators at a press conference Thursday denied claims that the incident was political retaliation.
Adams is scheduled to return to court on Wednesday to face U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho, who the station says will preside over the case going forward. FOX5 New York.
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If convicted of all charges, including one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bribery with receiving campaign contributions from foreign nationals, one count of wire fraud, and two counts of solicitation of campaign contributions from foreign nationals, the maximum penalty is 45 years in prison. He could be sentenced to years in prison. one count of soliciting and receiving bribes from a citizen;
FOX News' Joseph A. Wolfson, Michael Lewis and Maria Palonich contributed to this report.
