(New York) New York City’s Democratic Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted in an investigation by the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office into the financing of his victorious 2021 campaign, the New York Times revealed Wednesday evening, a first in the history of the city where calls for his resignation have multiplied.
The major New York daily did not specify the grounds for the indictment, which should be revealed Thursday by the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office. Contacted by AFP, the prosecutor’s office made no comment.
This announcement further weakens the mayor of the largest city in the United States (8.5 million inhabitants), a former New York police captain elected in 2021 on promises of security, who has seen his popularity rating fall during his term, while cases targeting the city hall have multiplied.
His indictment also risks embarrassing the Democratic camp, forty days before the American presidential election between Kamala Harris and the Republican Donald Trump, neck and neck in the polls.
Eric Adams, New York’s second African-American mayor, said he was “innocent” Wednesday night.
“I always knew that if I stood up for New Yorkers, I would be a target – and I have been,” he said in a statement. “If charged, I am innocent and will fight with all my might and spirit,” the 64-year-old mayor added.
At least four federal investigations are underway, including three led by the Manhattan prosecutor’s office, targeting the mayor and his associates, several of whom have resigned in recent days.
Even before his indictment, a New York political analyst, Doug Muzzio, told AFP on Wednesday that Eric Adams “cannot escape his responsibilities.” And even if he is not considered close to White House candidate Kamala Harris, “Republicans can say: look, this is the largest city in the United States, it is run by Democrats, and there is reason to believe that corruption is widespread there,” said the retired professor at Baruch University in New York.
Türkiye
Eric Adams is the target of an investigation into his 2021 campaign finance. In November 2023, the federal police (FBI) seized the mayor’s cellphones and electronic devices and raided the home of a fundraiser for his campaign.
The investigation is focusing on allegations of illegal donations to the Democrat’s campaign by construction companies linked to Ankara. In particular, suspicions are focused on Turkey’s authorization to build a huge skyscraper across the street from the UN headquarters in Manhattan, housing the country’s mission to the United Nations and its consulate general.
The indictment comes after several of the mayor’s close associates resigned in recent days, including his health commissioner and the mayor’s education chancellor, who is also under investigation. Police Chief Edward Caban, who also faces investigation, resigned earlier in September, just a year after taking over the 36,000-person New York Police Department.
On Wednesday, even before the mayor’s indictment was announced, New York House Representative and left-wing figure Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on Eric Adams to resign, “for the good of the city.”
These calls multiplied during the evening from several other elected Democrats.
Eric Adams won the 2021 Democratic primary on a promise to curb crime, which had skyrocketed in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has credited a decline in violent crime, but New Yorkers are also grappling with rising living costs and a housing crisis that has driven rents to record levels.
By the end of 2023, his approval rating had fallen to a low of 28% in one poll. In this context, several rivals have declared themselves candidates for the party’s primary in 2025.