(Bloomberg) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams has no plans to go quietly.
After making history as the first mayor to be indicted while in office, Adams went on the offensive. The 64-year-old former cop suggested he was a “target” and that he’d drawn scrutiny from the Justice Department because of his repeated criticisms of the Biden administration’s handling of the migrant crisis — a view echoed by former President Donald Trump and hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman.
Adams also hired superstar lawyer Alex Spiro, who represents Elon Musk and successfully defended Alec Baldwin after the actor accidentally shot a cinematographer on the set of Rust. Spiro quickly went to work questioning the Manhattan US Attorney’s motives — accusing the prosecutors of being simply hungry for attention.
But even Ackman acknowledged that the case against Adams is “devastating and credible.”
Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, laid bare Adams’ alleged crimes after unsealing a 57-page indictment Thursday. He charged the mayor with taking at least $100,000 worth of luxury travel and other perks over a decade-long stretch, in exchange for acting to benefit officials with ties to the Turkish government.
Adams, who arrived in court on Friday to surrender to authorities and be formally charged, pled not guilty. Spiro said he plans to file a motion to dismiss the charges at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday and said he will also ask for a speedy trial.
Spiro had already begun throwing punches. On Thursday, moments before Williams announced the sprawling case in downtown Manhattan, the defense lawyer attacked federal agents for showing up at Gracie Mansion — the mayor’s residence — and criticized prosecutors for holding a press conference “rather than appear in open court.”
Spiro also shared screenshots of text messages Adams exchanged with former New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro and former aide Rana Abbasova with reporters, in an effort to demonstrate that the mayor had instructed aides not to accept donations from foreign nationals. An attorney for Abbasova declined to comment.
Spiro’s actions signal he won’t be a defense attorney who remains tight-lipped in public after their clients are charged — ignoring the ire of the judge who might view him as attempting to try the case in the press.
For Adams though, what’s at stake goes beyond the legal implications — he also wants to hang onto his position as his opponents seek to force him from office. He became the second Black mayor in the city’s 400-year history after beating a crowded field three years ago by running on a law-and-order platform that pledged to make city government work better.
In recent weeks, subpoenas and searches have surfaced with dizzying frequency, and the probes show little sign of abating.
On Friday, federal and state investigators intercepted Adams’ chief adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, at John F. Kennedy International Airport upon her return from a trip to Japan. Investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office seized her phones and later removed evidence from her Brooklyn house, while federal prosecutors served her with a subpoena, according to her attorney, Arthur Aidala.
And late Thursday, after Adams’ indictment was unveiled, New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda’s office was searched by investigators.
The mayor’s approval ratings have plunged since he took office, as he struggled to deal with the arrival of more than 200,000 migrants since spring 2022 and after making unpopular budget cuts that he later reversed. He has also faced opposition from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, in part for his administration’s resumption of aggressive police tactics that Adams’ predecessor had shunned.
Questions about Adams’ leadership and ability to manage the city have been building since late last year, as reports about investigations leaked into the media and engulfed his administration.
Adams was already beset by vacancies in senior leadership positions, and took office amid a staffing shortage that has continued to compromise the delivery of city services, from restaurant inspections to processing cash assistance for the poor.
Slew of Departures
But the pace of departures has accelerated — just this month, the city’s police commissioner quit — after federal agents seized his phone as part of an investigation involving his twin brother’s nightlife consultancy. Then Adams’ top lawyer quit after the mayor refused to act on her advice, followed by the city’s school’s chancellor and health commissioner announcing plans to leave in December.
In recent weeks, subpoenas and searches have surfaced with dizzying frequency, showing little sign of abating. Late Thursday, after Adams’ indictment was unveiled, New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda’s office was searched by investigators.
At a press conference inside City Hall on Thursday, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander pointed to examples of city dysfunction as a result of Adams being enmeshed in multiple investigations.
“We’ve already got a leadership vacuum in City Hall,” said Lander, who is vying to become mayor. The city’s workforce “need to know the leadership here in City Hall has their back, and that’s hard to do with this level of crisis,” he said.
Adams sought to reassure the city’s more than 300,000 employees in a message sent to city staffers.
“Undoubtedly you all have now heard the news about the indictment out of the Southern District of New York. While my legal team thoroughly reviews the allegations that were just released publicly, let me be very clear, I know I’ve done nothing wrong,” Adams said.
Meanwhile, elected officials and Democratic political candidates are either demanding Adams resign or questioning his ability to manage the largest American city while he defends himself.
Those with the power to remove Adams include New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who said late Thursday “New Yorkers deserve to know that their municipal government is working effectively, ethically and in the best interests of the people — driving down crime, educating our kids and ensuring basic city services continue unabated. It’s now up to Mayor Adams to show the City that he is able to lead in that manner.”
Hochul stopped just short of calling on Adams to resign, giving the mayor a deadline to decide what to do.
“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.
Another previously untested route is through a so-called inability committee — a group of several city officials, which includes Lander, who can vote to remove the mayor. Lander said he hoped the mayor would step down voluntarily.
“Before we get to what is required of the governor, what’s required of the committee on removal, we ought to first make some room, maybe even a little grace, for him to come to the conclusion that he should do the right thing and step down,” Lander said.
Others demanding Adams resign include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the highest-profile lawmakers in the New York congressional delegation, who said the turmoil and high turnover in the administration were “threatening government function.”
Several Democrats vying to unseat Republican incumbents in critical House races across New York, which could determine which party controls Congress next year, also called on Adams to depart.
When a Spectrum NY1 reporter asked Brooklyn Democratic Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez whether Adams should resign, the veteran House member paused, before replying.
“If I was in his shoes, I would have resigned today,” she said. “He can’t conduct the business of the people of New York. He knows that.”
The case is US v. Adams, 24-00556, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
--With assistance from Magdalena Del Valle, Chris Dolmetsch, Nacha Cattan, Daniel Taub, Bob Van Voris and Myles Miller.
(Updates with adviser’s phones being seized on Friday, sheriff’s office being searched starting in 12th paragraph)
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