NYC mayor Adams to be arraigned on federal corruption charges
Al Jazeera
Eric Adams says he will fight charges stemming from alleged illegal campaign contributions from Turkish sources.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has arrived at the federal court in Manhattan, where he is set to be arraigned on corruption charges stemming from alleged bribes taken from Turkish diplomats and businesspeople.
The court appearance on Friday comes three days after a grand jury moved to indict Adams, a former police officer.
The indictment, unsealed on Thursday, said Adams received campaign funding and luxury travel perks – including rooms at opulent hotels and meals at high-end restaurants – in exchange for pressuring city officials to allow Turkey’s new 36-storey consulate to open despite safety concerns.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Adams pledged to fight the charges and said he would not respond to calls from some of his fellow Democrats to step down as the top elected official in the largest city in the US, with a population of 8 million people.
“I will continue to do my job as mayor,” he said.
