Mayor Eric Adams is determined to keep his job and fight the federal charges, and has made calls to fund the legal battle, The Post has learned.
Adams, a Democrat, had the support of powerful allies including Robert Craft, Adam Dell and Don Peebles before he was indicted on September 24 on corruption and bribery charges.
Although he has lost as many vocal supporters since then, people familiar with the matter told the Post that Adams has a number of healthy Wall Street donors and that if Adams were to resign, He is not very happy with his replacement, left-winger Jumaane Williams.
Adams, 64, was indicted on September 27 and has pleaded not guilty. He has repeatedly vowed to fight the case and has hired Alex Spiro, a veteran lawyer who has previously represented Elon Musk, Mr. Beast and Alec Baldwin.
Public filings show that Ms. Adams had already raised more than $1 million from more than 600 donors as of the end of June, but that was not enough to cover her legal costs, and sources said the newspaper It is said that the price could exceed $3 million.
However, donations are capped at $5,000 per person, so Adams must rely on many sources of support.
Officials said Mr. Adams' longstanding support for the Jewish community, including speaking at pro-Israel marches and hosting roundtable discussions with students facing anti-Semitism, has also paid off, and he has received many awards. The company reportedly receives advice and donations from prominent sources. .
“When someone does a good deed, they have an obligation to pay it back. He stood up while everyone else walked away,” political strategist Hank Shenkopf told the Post. “People are not going to walk away from someone who has defended them.”
Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, a prominent Israeli ally, said last Thursday that he was “skeptical” of charges against Adams, at least “if charges are announced against someone whose views are not acceptable to the parties involved.” I tweeted that.
One source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was sympathetic to the mayor, saying he was “very kind to Jews” and that this could be “weaponizing the justice system.” Ultimately, he said, he would “leave it alone.” Rather than participating, they “play out.”
Another Jewish official considering the possibility of donating called the charges “flimsy.”
On Monday, Adams moved to dismiss the “very vague” charges, saying they were “bred by prosecutors who are diligently investigating” the criminal case and claiming he leaked the charges to smear him.
Adams previously claimed he was charged because he dared to criticize the Biden administration for its handling of the immigration crisis that has engulfed New York City since 2022.
In a video uploaded online, he said:
“I will fight these injustices with all my strength and soul…I know that I am innocent.”
Apart from this, Adams also $3 million for 2025 election campaign But unlike presidential campaigns, those funds cannot be used for legal costs.
