Photo: Brendan McDermid/Reuters
The New York Times reported Thursday that Eric Adams and his campaign committee have been served grand-jury subpoenas as part of Manhattan federal prosecutors’ ongoing probe into his 2021 campaign’s ties to Turkey. Prosecutors are reportedly seeking documents and various communications through the subpoenas, which were initially issued in July, according to the Times.
The mayor gave his first public acknowledgment of the subpoenas in a pretaped interview with WABC’s Bill Ritter set to air Sunday, though he did not give specifics about what he was being asked to provide to prosecutors. “Like previous administrations that had to go through subpoenas, you participate. You cooperate,” Adams said.
The request for additional information is a new sign of life from the U.S. attorney’s office in its monthslong investigation into the Adams campaign. The inquiry is examining whether the campaign conspired with the Turkish government to funnel illegal foreign donations to the campaign’s coffers. Investigators are said to be particularly scrutinizing whether fire inspectors were pressured to sign off on development of a new Turkish consulate building in Manhattan despite concerns about its safety. CNN reports that the information being sought through the subpoenas pertains to foreign travel as well as any potential ties to Turkey. Earlier this year, it was reported that investigators were looking into Adams’s past travel on Turkish Airlines and whether he received free upgrades to his flights. To date, Adams has not been officially accused of any wrongdoing.
The investigation first became public last November after the FBI raided the Brooklyn home of Brianna Suggs, a top fundraiser for Adams. Rana Abbasova, who was then an aide on City Hall’s international-affairs team, also had her home raised that same day. Days later, agents stopped Adams on the street with a search warrant for his electronic devices, which they seized and later returned. In May, it was reported that Abbasova, who worked as a liaison to the Turkish community, is now cooperating with the investigation into her former boss.
In a statement, Adams’s attorneys Brendan McGuire and Boyd Johnson said they’ve conducted their own investigation over the past nine months and found no evidence of wrongdoing from their client.
“Our investigation has included an evaluation of campaign documents, an analysis of tens of thousands of electronic communications, and witness interviews. To be clear, we have not identified any evidence of illegal conduct by the Mayor. To the contrary, we have identified extensive evidence undermining the reported theories of federal prosecution as to the Mayor, which we have voluntarily shared with the US Attorney,” they said.
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