Mayor charged with accepting bribes from Turkish nationals

2/11/2024 5:45

        New York City Mayor Eric
        Adams will go on trial on corruption charges starting April 21,
        2025, a U.S. judge ruled on Friday, as the embattled Democrat
        prepares for a bruising reelection campaign.
        
        U.S. District Judge Dale Ho set the trial date at a hearing
        in federal court in Manhattan.
        
        Adams, 64, pleaded not guilty last month to federal charges
        of accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from
        Turkish nationals in exchange for pressuring city officials to
        allow Turkey's new 36-story consulate to open despite safety
        concerns.
        
        A former police officer who rose to the rank of captain,
        Adams is the first of the city's 110 mayors to be charged with a
        federal crime while in office. At least seven senior officials
        in his administration have resigned in recent months as multiple
        federal corruption probes engulf City Hall.
        
        Adams, who took office in January 2022, has declined to
        resign despite calls to do so from several senior Democrats in
        the largest U.S. city, including U.S. Representative Jerry
        Nadler. Adams has pledged to run for reelection next year, and
        is expected to face a competitive Democratic primary in the
        left-leaning city.
        
        Adams' lawyer, Alex Spiro, has told reporters the case rests
        on the assertions of a staffer who falsely implicated Adams. He
        has also minimized the severity of the charges, calling the case
        the "airline upgrade corruption case."
        
        Turkey's foreign ministry has said Ankara was following the
        proceedings in Adams' case closely and that its diplomats
        adhered to protocol.
        
        Adams last month received an unlikely message of support
        from former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican
        candidate for president in Tuesday's upcoming election, who is
        facing federal charges over efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to
        Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump, who has pleaded not
        guilty in that case, also was convicted of 34 felony counts in
        state court in New York City.
        
        "Good luck with everything, they went after you," Trump said
        in a light-hearted speech at a charity gala in New York on Oct.
        17. "I don't like what they do."
        
        Adams has not been as critical of Trump as other Democrats.
        Asked earlier this week if he believed Trump was a "fascist," as
        Vice President Kamala Harris has asserted, Adams said no.