New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed to stay in office Thursday after federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment accusing him of letting Turkish officials and businesspeople buy his influence with illegal campaign contributions and lavish overseas trips, The Associated Press writes.
Adams, a Democrat, faces conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery charges. Prosecutors say Adams received free and steeply discounted flight upgrades valued at more than $100,000, free stays in opulent hotel suites and expensive meals, as well as campaign contributions from straw donors.
In exchange for the bribes, Adams took actions that appeared to benefit Turkey’s leaders, including not releasing a statement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, according to the indictment.
In September 2021, a Turkish official told Adams it was time to repay him for the contributions and benefits by pressuring the fire department to facilitate the opening of the consulate without a fire inspection, although a fire department official warned that major defects at the consulate building had left it “unsafe to occupy. Several months later, the Turkish official asked Adams “not make any statement about the Armenian Genocide” ahead of an April remembrance day.
