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New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of bribery, wire fraud, solicitation of contribution by a foreign national, and conspiracy.
Adams entered his plea at Manhattan federal court on Friday afternoon. He is the first sitting mayor in the city’s modern history to face federal criminal charges.
US Attorneys in the Southern District of New York on Thursday unveiled a sprawling five-count indictment against Adams, accusing him of seeking and accepting “illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals.”
The charges stem from a months-long federal investigation into his 2021 mayoral campaign and his ties to Turkish government officials and Turkish nationals.
Federal prosecutors are accusing Adams of accepting “illegal” campaign donations, funneled through a straw donor scheme, and accepting luxurious benefits in exchange for wielding his power to intervene in a fire inspection at the Turkey consulate.
Adams said he was “not surprised” by the charges and denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
He declared he would not step down from his position as the top official in New York City, despite current and former lawmakers calling upon him to resign.
Eric Adams enters plea
Mayor Eric Adams has officially entered his not-guilty plea to all five federal charges as his arraignment proceeds in Manhattan federal court.
Eric Adams seated for arraignment
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is seated inside Manhattan federal court awaiting his arraignment, which is set to begin any moment.
ICYMI: New York Times’s Editorial Board calls for Eric Adams to step down
The New York Times’s Editorial Board has called for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to resign amid his indictment on federal charges.
“The charges against Mr. Adams are serious, including allegations that he misappropriated more than $10 million in public funds for his 2021 campaign,” the Editorial Board wrote.
“The mayor will have his day in court and is entitled to make a vigorous defense, but that does not mean he must force New York City to wait for him to prove his innocence under the law,” the Editorial Board continued. “To serve the city that elected him, Mr. Adams should immediately resign and turn City Hall over to someone untainted by criminal charges and endless investigations.”
Watch: Eric Adams, mayor of New York City, vows to fight federal charges ahead of arraignment today
Eric Adams tweet praising Diddy resurfaces as both are indicted
The social media message, which was posted in September last year, reads: “He might be the ‘bad boy’ of entertainment, but Sean Combs will forever be a New York City kid who made good.
Read more:
Free upgrades, campaign donations and the Bentley suite: How Eric Adams allegedly traveled the world on Turkey’s dime
Eric Adams will be arraigned in Manhattan federal court today at 12 p.m. ET.
Catch up on everything you need to know about the charges he’s facing ahead of the hearing from The Independent’s Justin Rohrlich:
Governor Kathy Hochul has power to remove Eric Adams as mayor
Governor Kathy Hochul has the legal power to remove Eric Adams as mayor of New York City, The New York Times reports.
However, she did not address those powers in a statement on Thursday night about the indictment.
“I expect the mayor to take the next few days to review the situation and find an appropriate path forward to ensure the people of New York City are being well-served by their leaders,” Hochul said, according to the Times. “We must give New Yorkers confidence that there is steady, responsible leadership at every level of government.”
See it: Eric Adams arrives at Manhattan courthouse
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has arrived at Manhattan federal court ahead of his arraignment, scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.
Trump: Adams ‘was indicted for criticizing Biden’s migrant policy’
Donald Trump appeared to suggest that Eric Adams had been indicted after criticizing the Biden administration’s policy on “illegal migrants.”
Speaking at a press conference at Trump Tower on Thursday, the former president said that although he did not know Adams well, he had been “fairly generous to me in his statements.”
He then claimed he had predicted the mayor’s arrest and subsequent indictment over a year previously.
“I watched about a year ago when he talked about how the illegal migrants are hurting our city and the federal government should pay us and we shouldn’t have to take them, and I said ‘you know what, he’ll be indicted within the year’ and I was exactly right,” he said.
Read more below.
The wild and weird moments of a chaotic mayorship
Adams is no stranger to controversy, having been the subject of multiple gaffes and meme-worthy moments since he took office two years ago.
Mike Bedigan charts some of the wild and weird moments of his mayorship.
Read the full report below.
Source: independent.co.uk
