FBI agents raided New York City’s mayoral mansion Thursday morning in a predawn raid hours after sources revealed Mayor Eric Adams had been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Adams countered with a video statement saying any charges filed against him would be “entirely false, based on lies,” and insinuated that his criticism of the Biden administration’s disastrous border policies made him a target for retaliation.
“The federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief,” he said. “I put the people of New York before party and politics.”
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Sources said agents seized the mayor’s phone during the morning operation, although it was not immediately clear whether Adams was at Gracie Mansion when they arrived.
They did not arrest Adams, according to his lawyer, Alex Spiro.
“Federal agents appeared this morning at Gracie Mansion in an effort to create a spectacle (again) and take Mayor Adams’ phone (again),” he told The Associated Press. “They send a dozen agents to pick up a phone when we would have happily turned it in.”
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David Gelman, a New Jersey-based defense attorney and legal surrogate for the Trump campaign, said the feds were likely serving a warrant to seize data on the mayor’s devices.
But he also questioned the case against Adams.
“The question is, is it politically motivated?” he said. “It’s possible. The DOJ has shown over the last 3.5 years that they are weaponized.”
Adams blasted the feds for what he described as a pressure campaign designed to make him look guilty and undermine his credibility.
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“Just this past week, they searched the home of our new police commissioner looking for documents for 20 years ago, just one week after he joined my administration,” he said. “Enough. I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit.”
He insisted that he is innocent and argued against calls for his resignation.
“Now, if I am charged, many may say I should resign because I cannot manage the city while fighting the case,” he said. “I can also understand how everyday New Yorkers would be concerned that I cannot do my job while facing accusations. But I have been facing these lies for month, since I began to speak out for all of you and their investigation started, yet the city has continued to improve. Make no mistake, you elected me to lead this city, and lead it I will.”
Details of the indictment were expected to be made public later Thursday morning.
“We have no idea of the charges or accusations but Adams and his legal team have been well aware that the indictment was coming down,” Gelman said. “Nobody knows if they have cooperated but if the Feds have a person in their crosshairs, they don’t miss.”
Federal agents have conducted a series of raids targeting Adams’ inner circle in recent weeks, including the new police commissioner, the commissioner he replaced, and other top aides in the mayor’s office and from his campaign.
The FBI has reportedly been looking into whether Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government and other entities to raise funds. Some New York officials have also been probed over potential investigations into contacts with China.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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