A federal investigation into New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign and allegedly illegal campaign donations from Turkish officials is intensifying. Adams has not been accused of wrongdoing, but the probe directly involved the mayor for the first time after FBI agents approached him with a search warrant and seized several of his electronic devices last week.
WNYC’s Elizabeth Kim, who covers City Hall, recently broke down what happened and what it means with host Michael Hill.
Michael Hill: Let’s start with the news that FBI agents seized the mayor’s electronic devices in public. Walk us through what happened.
Elizabeth Kim: This story broke late Friday after the New York Times reported that FBI agents had approached Adams in downtown Manhattan Monday night and presented him with a search warrant for his electronic devices. The agents then proceeded to search the mayor’s SUV and remove at least two iPhones and an iPad, according to the story.
WNYC reached out to the Adams campaign. An attorney for the mayor said that Adams immediately complied and provided the agents with the devices. He also said the mayor has not been accused of wrongdoing and is fully cooperating with the investigation.
The lawyer also added that the campaign had “discovered that an individual had recently acted improperly” and that the “behavior was immediately and proactively reported to investigators.” However, it’s unclear who this individual is and what kind of improper conduct they committed.
The week before, we learned that the FBI raided the mayor’s campaign fundraiser’s Brooklyn home. What does it say that investigators are now interested in looking at the mayor’s electronic devices? Is it unusual for them to obtain them in this way?
Kim: This is the first time that the investigation has directly involved the mayor. And yes, the encounter between the FBI and mayor was unusual. Search warrants are a significant investigatory step. To get a search warrant requires…
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