New York City’s Democratic Mayor Eric Adams has received a subpoena from federal prosecutors amid an ongoing investigation into his 2021 election campaign and possible illegal foreign influence activities.
Last month, Adams, the city council and the elections board received subpoenas, which requested text messages, documents and other communications, sources said. The New York Timesfirst reported the news earlier this week.
“We don’t ask for anything in return. We follow the law.”
The investigation actually began when Adams first ran for mayor in 2021, but last November the FBI and other officials investigated Adams’ chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs.
The investigation is said to include allegations that Adams had dealings with prominent Turkish leaders.
Adams fast-tracked construction of a high-rise building for the Turkish consulate in Manhattan. New York Post Mayor Adams reportedly pressured the New York Fire Department to grant construction permits for the building despite safety concerns. Mayor Adams did not deny involvement in the matter, but claimed he did so as part of his responsibilities as mayor.
Investigators are looking into whether Turkish government officials made illegal contributions to Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign, and are also reportedly looking into a free business class upgrade that Adams reportedly received from Turkish Airlines.
Adams previously told Turkish media that Turkish Airlines was “my idea of air travel”.
Adams and his representatives have vigorously denied the allegations of wrongdoing.
“We don’t ask for profits. We just follow the law,” Adams previously said. Pix 11“Whatever they want, we will fully cooperate and I will let them do their job without interference.”
His lawyers, Brendan R. McGuire and Boyd M. Johnson III, have similarly denied the allegations and maintained that a parallel investigation uncovered nothing untoward.
“To be clear, we have not uncovered any evidence of the Mayor’s misconduct,” the lawyers said in a joint statement. “In fact, we have uncovered substantial evidence that undermines the federal charges against the Mayor, and we have voluntarily shared it with the U.S. Attorney’s office.”
Fabian Levy, a spokesman for Adams, made similar comments.
“As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has made it very clear over the last nine months that he will cooperate with any ongoing investigations. Nothing has changed,” Levy said.
“He expects everyone to cooperate to bring this investigation to a swift conclusion.”
Despite the denials, the allegations appear to have taken a toll on Adams’ popularity: His approval ratings have fallen and multiple media outlets have reported that three Democrats have already announced they will challenge him in the 2025 mayoral primary.
Federal officials did not respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post.
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