Details Emerge In FBI Probe Into New York City Mayor

The New York Times reports:

Federal authorities are investigating whether Mayor Eric Adams, weeks before his election two years ago, pressured New York Fire Department officials to sign off on the Turkish government’s new high-rise consulate in Manhattan despite safety concerns with the building, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

After winning the Democratic mayoral primary in July, Mr. Adams contacted then-Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro in late summer 2021 and urged him to allow the Turkish government to occupy the building at least on a temporary basis. The building had yet to open because fire officials had cited safety issues and declined to sign off on its occupancy, the people said.

The unusual intervention by Mr. Adams is being examined as part of a broader public corruption investigation by the F.B.I. and federal prosecutors in Manhattan that led to the seizure of the mayor’s electronic devices by federal agents early last week.

Read the full article. Per the report, Adams’ alleged intervention allowed Turkish strongman Recep Erdogan to preside over a ribbon-cutting of the $300 million consulate during a 2021 visit during the United Nations General Assembly. The Turkish consulate, in turn, is suspected of having funneled money into then-Brooklyn borough president Adams’ campaign for mayor.

Breaking News: The FBI is investigating whether Eric Adams, as a New York mayoral nominee, pressured Fire Department officials in 2021 to sign off on the Turkish government’s new consulate despite safety concerns with the building. https://t.co/iyF7X6nbTj

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 12, 2023