New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivered a defiant message Wednesday night after news broke that he has been charged in a federal corruption investigation.
“My fellow New Yorkers, it is now my belief that the federal government intends to charge me with crimes,” Adams said in a one-minute video.
“If so, these charges will be entirely false, based on lies,” he claimed. “But they would not be surprising. I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you, that I would be a target, and a target I became.”
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BREAKING: Full statement from New York City Mayor Eric Adams after being indicted by a federal grand jury. pic.twitter.com/t9U5IhfRYN
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) September 26, 2024
The indictment remains under seal, the New York Times reported, but the investigation into Adams initially centered around allegations that the Democrat accepted illegal foreign campaign contributions from the Turkish government in exchange for favors performed as mayor. In recent months, prosecutors have subpoenaed Adams and his campaign for materials related to other countries, including Qatar and China.
“For months, leaks and rumors have been aimed at me in an attempt to undermine my credibility and paint me as guilty,” he continued. “Just this past week, they searched the home of our new police commissioner, looking for documents from 20 years ago. Just one week after he joined my administration. Enough. I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit. If I’m charged, I know I am innocent.”
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Federal officials have investigated several people in Adams’s orbit, including Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks and former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, who resigned from his post last week. Shortly thereafter, the FBI raided the home of Caban’s successor, interim Commissioner Thomas Donlon.
Adams said he would request an immediate trial so New Yorkers can “hear the truth” quickly and the city can get on with its business.
“I have been fighting injustice my entire life. That fight has continued as your mayor,” he said. “Despite our pleas, when the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics.”
“Now, if I am charged, many may say I should resign because I cannot manage the city while fighting the case,” he continued. “I can also understand how everyday New Yorkers will be concerned that I cannot do my job while I face accusation, but I have been facing these lies for months since I began to speak out for all of you and their investigation started, yet the city has continued to improve.”
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams is expected to announce the charges against Adams when the indictment is unsealed Thursday, according to the New York Post. Sources told the paper that Adams will turn himself in early next week.
