• Adams Indictment Unsealed: No Big Surprises

    September 26, 2024
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    While some speculated yesterday about explosive contents in the Mayor Eric Adams indictment unsealed today, the result matches the consensus view fairly closely, with a few small but juicy asides.

    The indictment is a five-count, 57-page document, brought by US Attorney Damian Williams.

    The counts are as follows:

    • 1. Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals.
    • 2. Wire fraud.
    • 3. Solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national.
    • 4. Solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national.
    • 5. Bribery.

    The investigation ranges back to Adams' days as Brooklyn Borough president, beginning in 2014. Adams is charged with building a relationship with Turkish officials and "wealthy foreign businesspeople." He is alleged to have accepted and solicited "straw" contributions as early as 2018 for his 2021 election campaign.

    Further, Adams is alleged to have illegally taken federal matching funds for certain campaign donations that did not qualify under the letter of the law, and he is accused of accepting free and/or steeply discounted luxury travel and lodging on frequent Turkish forays.

    At the heart of the matter: a 36-story Turkish consulate building at 821 United Nations Plaza. "Turkish House" construction began in 2017, and was completed in 2021. What it lacked: a fire department safety approval. Adams is alleged to have sidestepped the requirement i order to receive the president of Turkey for a visit.

    Further, Adams stands accused of taking money from wealthy donors at showy dinners and shuffling it to straw donors to pad the funding for his 2025 campaign.

    When a staffer volunteered to be interviewed by the FBI, she asked for a bathroom break, during which she is alleged to have deleted encrypted messaging apps from her phone.

    To summarize: the key elements are taking money and gifts from Turkish officials and businessmen to approve the building of the Turkish consulate. Those funds were used to grow Adams' campaign coffers, and enjoy luxury travel and lodging. Further examples of bribery and solicitation of funds round out the list.

    While the charges certainly rise to the level of criminal activity, there is nothing unusual about such crimes, and it is extraordinary to go after a sitting mayor for such crimes. The narrative of payback for Adams for pushing back on Biden-Harris about the southern border, and grousing publicly over the heavy influx of illegal aliens, is ascendant.

    Remember: if Adams doesn't survive this, NYC gets much, much worse (and more woke).

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