Federal prosecutors ask judge to deny Mayor Eric Adams' bid to drop bribery charge
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Federal prosecutors on Friday urged a judge to reject the attempt by New York City Mayor Eric Adams to drop the bribery charge he faces, arguing the mayor had a "corrupt relationship" with a Turkish official.
"Adams claims that accepting tens of thousands of dollars' worth of benefits in exchange for pressuring a City agency is 'routine' and 'common.' But however routine that may have been for Adams, the law permits a jury to conclude that it was nonetheless illegal," prosecutors said.
Adams has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges and his attorney has argued the bribery count should be dismissed because the evidence does not support it.
"There was no quid pro quo. There was no, this for that," defense attorney Alex Spiro has said.
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In response, federal prosecutors said there was a quid pro quo in which Adams took luxury travel from a foreign official in exchange for influencing the city's regulation of the new Turkish consulate in Manhattan.
"Adams's claim that the indictment does not say what it literally recites fails on its face," prosecutors said in their reply brief.
"Adams pressured the FDNY to allow the Turkish House to open in time to be inaugurated by Turkey's President, even though the building had not yet received a fire safety inspection. In return, Adams got, among other things, over $12,000 in free airfare on a trip to Africa, an all-expense-paid night on the town in Istanbul, and various perks-including transportation, lodging, and a VIP suite in the Turkish Airline's business class lounge for his chief fundraiser."
Meanwhile, Donald Trump got involved in the felony case against the mayor, telling Adams during a speech Thursday night in Manhattan, that they both are being persecuted by authorities.
"I'd like to poke some fun at Eric, but I'm going to be nice," Trump said at the annual Al Smith dinner, which is known for sarcasm and sharp-edged wisecracks. "I just want to be nice because I know what it's like to be persecuted by the DOJ for speaking out against open borders. We were persecuted and I was persecuted and so were you, Eric."
Adams laughed off Trump's defense of the mayor Friday afternoon.
"If you take that night seriously, then, you know, that's on you," he said. "This was the event where everybody's ribbing each other, everybody's joking. Everyone is laughing. That's what the whole night is about."
If the mayor believes he's being "persecuted" for criticizing the White House, he has never used that word publicly.
Adams, who is charged with bribery, conspiracy and accepting illegal campaign donations, was first defended by Trump after the indictment was unsealed. Adams later said he was okay with that.
"Every American in this great country, I welcome support from," Adams said.
Trump is using the Adams indictment to discredit his own criminal cases along with the unspoken prospect of a presidential pardon for Adams if he wins. The mayor has endorsed Kamala Harris but has not disavowed Trump's support. Although, he did laugh at one of his jokes.
"I've never met a person who's a vegan who liked turkey so much," Trump said at the dinner.
"I took some jokes at me, you know, turkey and vegan, all those other things. That's part of the night," Adams said.
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