The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the home of a principal member of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ (D) election campaign. The news caused the mayor to cut short an event and raised the prospect of a wider investigation.
The FBI raid was joined by the New York Police Department (NYPD) Thursday. While law enforcement has been quiet on the circumstances surrounding the warrant, it stems from the alleged acceptance of illegal campaign funds from a foreign government.
Adams was scheduled to travel to the White House Thursday to discuss the ongoing migrant crisis but had to cancel the meeting abruptly.
The mayor said, “I comply with the rules. We’re going to comply with any inquiry, and we will all do that.”
He said that he had “not been contacted by anyone involving this, and I’m just going to continue running this city, the greatest city on the globe.”
As Eric Adams was high tailing his way back to New York City since his top fundraisers house was just raided by the FBI. Here I am outside City Hall feeding the pigeons, as your "Mayor in Waiting," ready to take the helm. Have you had enough yet #NYC? pic.twitter.com/0qEXgvIbHe
— Curtis Sliwa (@CurtisSliwa) November 2, 2023
The mayor’s campaign attorney said that there had been no prior knowledge about the Brooklyn raid.
The attorney said that Adams “has always held the campaign to the highest standards.”
CBS News reported that FBI agents carried evidence boxes from Adams’ top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs.
The news outlet also said that the raid was one of several locations that the NYPD and FBI visited as part of what it described as “an international probe.”
A government source described the investigation as being linked to “foreign government influence peddling.”
While the exact source of the controversy has not been revealed yet, it appears that one of the points of focus is regarding Turkey. Adams visited the Middle Eastern country prior to taking office.
The New York Times also reported that there was the “potential involvement of a Brooklyn construction company with ties to Turkey, as well as a small university in Washington, D.C., that also has ties to the country and to Mr. Adams.”
Furthermore, the FBI reportedly questioned the mayor’s top fundraiser during the raid. She has not been charged with a crime as of this writing. She has earned about $100,000 over the previous two years.
