Why was Eric Adams indicted?
I suppose it could be because he was corrupt. In the olden days, I would have thought that was the reason. But a great great many corrupt people in public life aren’t indicted. So why would the current DOJ indict Eric Adams, New York’s mayor?
My first thought – and my second and third – was that he ruffled the wrong feathers. That’s Adams’ contention as well: “the defiant chief executive claimed he was being persecuted by the federal government for speaking out about the city’s migrant crisis.” He also claims to be innocent. But both things – that he’s being prosecuted for speaking out against the migrant crisis, and that he’s guilty – can be possible.
As with many news stories in the US, the British papers seem to have a lot of information:
Adams has came under fire in the past for questionable donations to his 2021 campaign from associates of the Turkish government.
The New York Times reports that Adams’ dealings with Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan are also under the federal microscope.
His indictment on Wednesday comes after a turbulent month of investigations and subsequent resignations from senior members of the NYC government.
The article points out that the investigations started after Adams criticized the influx of “migrants” to the city. A host of resignations followed the investigations.
[Adams] also faces at least three challengers in the 2025 Democratic primary, if he plans to seek reelection.
More federal investigations and resignations have ensued since, spurring Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to demand Adams to resign on Wednesday night.
Why, fancy that. AOC has an opinion.
More on the indictment’s details:
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on five federal charges related to bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, according to a 57-page indictment unsealed Thursday morning.
The indictment alleges illegal actions stretching back to 2014, from when he was Brooklyn Borough President.“For nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him,” the indictment reads.
Specifically, he received luxury travel and other benefits from a Turkish official and later pressured the NYC Fire Department to open a Turkish consular building without a fire inspection in exchange, the indictment says. …
In 2018, when Adams had announced his plans to run for New York City mayor, he allegedly accepted and sought illegal campaign contributions to his upcoming mayoral campaign, the indictment says.
Businesses also circumvented the city’s ban on corporate contributions “by funneling their donations through multiple employees,” according to the indictment.
This is the sort of thing I imagine is standard operating procedure with many government officials – and their families, including the Biden family, whose largesse from corruption is alleged to have included Joe Biden as a beneficiary (from the evidence of Hunter’s laptop as well as all those payments to distant family members).
Adams’ replacement would be “Jumaane Williams, a progressive Democrat.” In this case, “progressive” is code for “far far far left”:
NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, 48, who has protested against the police, is next in line for the mayor’s office – and exactly the kind of Democrat that far-left progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been dreaming of to run the nation’s biggest metropolis.
He would replace Adams temporarily, until there is a special election 80 days after the change of power, sparking fears among New Yorkers that things could go from bad to worse in the city.
‘A wounded Eric Adams, a weakened Eric Adams remaining in office, is better than the socialist Jumaane Williams,’ former mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa told DailyMail.com. ‘That will open up the floodgates to socialism, and we will become Chicago.’ …
During 15 years in public service, Williams has stoked anti-police sentiment and pushed for criminal reform, including to end solitary confinement in city prisons. He is also a prominent pro-Palestine activist. …
He also threatened to refuse to sign a warrant authorizing the collection of real estate taxes, which underpin the city’s budget.
Adams was elected as being the more moderate Democrat of several contenders, and a defender of the police (relatively speaking). But Williams most definitely is not. Will Adams resist the pressure to resign, at least until elections in June?
Not enough Far’s there, Neo. Needs a very dozen more at a minimum.
I have read that there has been an exodus of business and maybe the Rich, from NYC. If the New Guy comes in, might be a Flood. The poor and what’s left of a Middle Class will suffer greatly. Tax base will crater.
Only thing I hope is that the DA will be drawn into the net.
The Rod Blagojevich indictment and conviction was something of an eye opener for me. Most likely, he was just doing what many had done before, however… He probably had displeased some power brokers and they decided he had to go.
I probably would not have OK’ed his early release, as his actions were some genuinely crooked stuff. On the other hand, he was thoroughly tried in the media long before the court actions happened.
Neo
That sounds plausible to me.
SHIREHOME
We can hope.
NYC’s garbage collection recently entered into the 21st century by using hard plastic containers instead of rat-friendly plastic bags. My NYC cousin and I suspect that one reason it took so long to do what other cities have been doing for decades was the Mafia-run unions. More efficient garbage collection means fewer jobs for the boys. Hard plastic containers also means that garbage trucks run by one person can pick up the containers. No need for another union member to get off the truck and throw the garbage into the truck.
My NYC cousin also informs me that in her fair city, gas stoves are being phased out. Well, if you like energy inefficiency, that’s all right.
@ Neo > “Will Adams resist the pressure to resign, at least until elections in June?”
Depends on what the pressure consists of: Threats of serious jail time? Withdrawal of his security team? Maybe some more positive inducements, like Biden undoubtedly received.
Maybe he’s guilty, but he had every right to expect to never be prosecuted.
Clearly, he is no longer a member of The Club.
He might as well get a MAGA hat.
NB. Jumaane Williams was a registered student at Brooklyn College for about 10 years. He doesn’t admit of any employment history apart from public office other than his ownership of a cafe which closed in 2008. Here’s an account of his foray into the business world and property ownership.
==
https://nypost.com/2020/07/25/jumaane-williams-old-restaurant-had-money-and-city-troubles-records/
==
NB, municipal councils in core cities tend to be dominated by these types.
The fact that AOC immediately called for his resignation tells me it’s more to do with upper echelon Ds upset with him. She’s one of the first to get “the memo” on the current party line talking points.
Not that I ever really liked Adams, but how the left operates is fascinating and frightening at the same time. Don’t ever stray from the fold.
https://www.dossier.today/p/the-selective-prosecution-of-eric
physicsguy:
That’s because AOC helped write the memo. She’s been down on him from the start.
I go with guilty AND being made an example. Now here’s my not completely tongue-in-cheek conspiracy theory.
The Dems need a sacrificial lamb. They went after Trump in NYC (and elsewhere) and are failing in their goal of convincing most Americans that it was anything other than lawfare to simply “get Trump.” It’s pretty near the election and the plan isn’t working, so let’s go after one of our own, the mayor of the country’s largest city and the epicenter of the media – definitely going to get lots of media coverage, and the left can say “look at how fair and unbiased we are.”
And I smell the stink of that viper, AOC, on this. She’s lurking somewhere. A couple of things are met by going after him. One, he’s made an example to any other high profile Dems regarding any possible apostasy on the illegal alien invasion that’s being carried out by the Party. And two, if this is successful it makes room for someone more leftist that AOC prefers for mayor (as NEO pointed out) or for AOC herself (which is my suspicion).
Telemachus
I thought that it was not possible for NYC to have a mayor worse than Bill DiBlasio. Looks like I will be proven wrong. AOC or Jumaane Williams: rock, meet hard place.
When it comes to foreigners buying favors from government officials, DC doesn’t want any competition.
I saw a headline somewhere that said former governor Cuomo wants to be NYC mayor.
@Telemachus:omeone more leftist that AOC prefers for mayor
Ocasio-Cortez is herself a puppet; I don’t doubt that she hears about this before other people, but she has no preferences that her string-pullers don’t have.