New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ office lashed out Sunday against any FBI employee who might have “improperly leaked details” of a federal corruption probe implicating Hizzoner.
This comes in response to the New York Times’ reporting that the federal authorities were probing Adams for possibly improperly pressuring New York Fire Department officials into clearing the opening of a Manhattan sky-rise to house the Turkish consulate despite safety concerns about the 35-story building.
Reacting to the report in a statement provided to Fox News Digital, City Hall Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg said, “The mayor and our team are continuing to work with investigators and cooperate. We hope that investigators will continue to cooperate with us and reprimand any federal officer who has improperly leaked details about this investigation as such conduct could prejudice the public and undermines the integrity of our law enforcement process.“
According to the Times, Adams’ unusual intervention came in the summer of 2021 after he won the Democratic mayoral primary but before the November general election. He was serving his second term as Brooklyn borough president at the time, and that role’s jurisdiction does not include Manhattan. The FBI reportedly has been questioning FDNY officials since last spring.
New York Mayor Eric Adams meeting with his Retail Theft Task Force at Gracie Mansion, in New York, Nov. 8, 2023. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office via AP)
So far, federal law enforcement and prosecutors have not publicly disclosed the subject of the wide-ranging corruption probe, but an FBI search warrant for the Brooklyn home of Adams’ top campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, obtained by the Times reportedly revealed the federal investigation has centered in part around whether Adams’ campaign conspired with the Turkish government, including its consulate general in New York, to illegally funnel foreign money into its coffers.
On Friday, Adams’ attorney, Boyd Johnson, revealed in a statement that FBI agents quietly seized phones and an iPad from the mayor earlier in the week as part of an investigation into political fundraising during his 2021 campaign. The seizures happened as Adams was leaving a public event in Manhattan on Monday night.
New York Mayor Eric Adams delivers remarks at the Autism Spectrum Disorder Nest Program’s 20th anniversary celebration, at New York University’s Kimmel Center in New York, Nov. 6, 2023. (Mayoral Photography Office via AP)
NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS’ ELECTRONIC DEVICES SEIZED BY FBI AMID CAMPAIGN INVESTIGATION
Johnson emphasized at the time that Adams “has not been accused of any wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation.”
The FBI declined to comment to Fox News Digital on Sunday regarding the Times’ report.
New York Mayor Eric Adams smiles while addressing athletes before they make their way onto the Verrazano Narrows Bridge at the start of the New York City Marathon, Nov. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
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In a statement issued by the mayor’s campaign, Adams said, “As a borough president, part of my routine role was to notify government agencies of issues on behalf of constituents and constituencies. I have not been accused of wrongdoing, and I will continue to cooperate with investigators.”
