Current:Home > MyNYC mayor retains lawyer in federal fundraising probe, but plays down concern-InfoLens
NYC mayor retains lawyer in federal fundraising probe, but plays down concern
View Date:2024-12-23 20:52:24
NEW YORK (AP) — Facing a room full of reporters for the first time since federal agents raided the home of his chief fundraiser, Mayor Eric Adams said he didn’t have anything to fear from the investigation, even as an attorney for his administration acknowledged being in contact with federal authorities.
“It would really shock me if someone that was hired by my campaign did something that’s inappropriate,” Adams said, flanked by eight of his top deputies in City Hall. “Not only would it shock me, it would hurt me.”
He then laughed off a question about whether he could personally face federal charges, while noting that he had hired a lawyer from the law firm WilmerHale to represent him.
Lisa Zornberg, chief counsel at City Hall, confirmed the Adams administration was also in touch with federal prosecutors in Manhattan about the matter, though she declined to go into detail about their communications.
A spokesperson for Adams’ campaign previously said they had not been contacted about the raid.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have declined to say what the investigation is about, but a search warrant obtained by the New York Times indicated that investigators are examining whether the Adams campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive donations from foreign sources, funneled through straw donors.
The investigation burst into public view last Wednesday following an early morning search by FBI agents at the Brooklyn home of Brianna Suggs, a 25-year-old campaign consultant who had served as Adams’ chief fundraiser in his 2021 mayoral campaign.
On Wednesday, Adams spoke affectionately about Suggs, describing her as a “brilliant young lady” who joined his Brooklyn Borough Hall staff as a teenage intern and quickly worked her way up to the position of top fundraiser.
“People of color just don’t get those roles,” he noted. “She outraised every other fundraiser in the race. She worked hard. She learned. I’m really proud of her and I’m sure she’s going to get through this.”
Suggs, who has not spoken publicly since the raid, did not respond to a request for comment. Brendan McGuire, the attorney hired to represent Adams, also not respond to an inquiry.
A spokesperson for the Adams campaign pledged last week to review “all documents and actions by campaign workers connected to the contributors in question.” Adams did not say on Wednesday whether they had found any irregularities, but insisted the campaign “closely followed the rules.”
“I start the day with telling my team, ‘We got to follow the law,’” he said. “It’s almost to the point that I’m annoying. I just strongly believe you have to follow the law.”
Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for the federal prosecutor’s office in Manhattan, declined to comment.
veryGood! (9999)
Related
- Traveling to Las Vegas? Here Are the Best Black Friday Hotel Deals
- Small plane crash kills 3 people in northern Arizona
- 'Anatomy of a Fall' autopsies a marriage
- Instead of coming face-to-face with Michael Cohen, Trump confronts emails and spreadsheets at New York trial
- Charles Hanover: Caution, Bitcoin May Be Entering a Downward Trend!
- Maryland medical waste incinerator to pay $1.75M fine for exposing public to biohazardous material
- Britney Spears Says She Was Pregnant With Justin Timberlake's Baby Before They Decided to Get Abortion
- Gaza’s doctors struggle to save hospital blast survivors as Middle East rage grows
- Elon Musk responds after Chloe Fineman alleges he made her 'burst into tears' on 'SNL'
- 'Good weekend' for Cowboys: Dallas survives 'must-win' game after losses by 49ers, Eagles
Ranking
- Kentucky woman seeking abortion files lawsuit over state bans
- Argentina vs. Peru live updates: Will Lionel Messi play in World Cup qualifying match?
- Illinois boy killed in alleged hate crime remembered as kind, playful as suspect appears in court
- The NHL had a chance to be decent. And then it missed a wide-open net.
- Video shows masked man’s apparent attempt to kidnap child in NYC; suspect arrested
- Rolls-Royce is cutting up to 2,500 jobs in an overhaul of the U.K. jet engine maker
- Russian President Putin and Chinese leader Xi meet in Beijing and call for close policy coordination
- Maren Morris Files For Divorce From Husband Ryan Hurd After 5 Years of Marriage
Recommendation
-
Judge sets April trial date for Sarah Palin’s libel claim against The New York Times
-
Aces starters Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes out for Game 4 of WNBA Finals vs. Liberty
-
Prison guard warned that Danilo Cavalcante planned escape a month before he fled, emails show
-
A UNC student group gives away naloxone amid campus overdoses
-
Does the NFL have a special teams bias when hiring head coaches? History indicates it does
-
Man imprisoned 16 years for wrongful conviction fatally shot by Georgia deputy
-
Clemson's Dabo Swinney: 'Maybe we need to lose a few games and lighten up the bandwagon'
-
The madness in women's college basketball will continue. And that's a great thing.