New York City Mayor Eric Adams unbowed despite mounting allegations, sex assault lawsuit
NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams spoke out for the first time Tuesday about a bombshell new lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault more than 30 years ago.
"This did not happen, it did not happen," Adams said. "I don't recall ever meeting this person during my time in the police department back in '93."
Adams faced the questions head on Tuesday. He flatly denied an allegation of sexual assault that goes back 31 years to when Adams was a police officer.
A lawsuit filed by a civilian employee has accused Adams of sexually assaulting her after she rejected his advances back in 1993.
The accuser, Lorna Beach-Mathura, declined to be interviewed, and has filed multiple unrelated and unsuccessful lawsuits in the past.
"My life has been a clear, open book for almost 40 years now," Adams said. "I have been one of the most public faces in this city, and I have always carried myself with the level of dignity that New Yorkers expect from me."
The message? That he can continue to run the city despite the lawsuit and a series of investigations into his campaign fundraising.
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Four people were charged last year with running a straw-donor scheme. A Long Island businessman pleaded guilty Monday on similar allegations. Adams acknowledged meeting the man, Hui Qin.
"He's one of those people who I've met while on the campaign trail," Adams said. "The thousands upon thousands of people that I interacted with from different walks of life."
Last fall, FBI agents raided the home of his chief fundraiser. It was part of a federal investigation into whether the campaign received illegal contributions from citizens and government officials in Turkey.
Authorities are investigating whether Adams -- then the Brooklyn Borough President -- played a role in fast-tracking a certificate of occupancy for the Turkish Consulate.
The mayor has not been charged with any wrongdoing and has denied knowledge of any improper contributions.
And he insisted Tuesday that he is confident that none of it will overshadow the accomplishments of his administration.
"What I want to say to New York is: I'm going to continue to do my job of navigating the city out of the crisis that we have been in, just as we navigated out of COVID, the asylum seeker crisis, public safety, housing crisis," Adams said. "I'm focused on doing that."
The lawsuit was not unexpected. Attorneys for the accuser put the mayor and the City of New York on notice late last year. But it does add to the many challenges the mayor faces and the multiple questions he will have to answer.
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