New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted Thursday on federal charges alleging that he secured bribes from foreign nationals and illegal campaign contributions in exchange for favors that included helping Turkish officials get fire safety approvals for a new diplomatic building in the city.
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00:00Today we are announcing campaign finance, bribery, and conspiracy charges against Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City.
00:07As the indictment alleges, Mayor Adams engaged in a long-running conspiracy in which he solicited and knowingly accepted illegal campaign contributions from foreign donors and corporations.
00:19As we allege, Mayor Adams took these contributions even though he knew they were illegal.
00:25And even though he knew these contributions were attempts by a Turkish government official and Turkish businessmen to buy influence with him.
00:33We also allege that the mayor sought and accepted well over $100,000 in luxury travel benefits from some of the same foreign actors who arranged many of the illegal campaign contributions.
00:44The conduct alleged in the indictment, the foreign money, the corporate money, the bribery, the years of concealment is a grave breach of the public's trust.
00:53Public office is a privilege.
00:55We allege that Mayor Adams abused that privilege and broke the law.
01:00Laws that are designed to ensure that officials like him serve the people, not the highest bidder, not a foreign bidder, and certainly not a foreign power.
01:09This investigation continues.
01:11We continue to dig.
01:13And we will hold more people accountable.
01:15And I encourage anyone with information to come forward and to do so before it is too late.
01:21The benefits, the free upgrades or free tickets altogether, the hotel stays, and the value.
01:27And if you just sum up all the dollar amounts here, you get to more than $100,000.
01:32And of course, as I said before, every single trip that we list here was undisclosed.
01:38The indictment of a sitting mayor is not just another headline.
01:42It is a stinging reminder that no one is above the law or beyond reproach.
01:49And it serves as a sobering moment for all of us who place our trust in elected officials.
01:58Today's indictment sends a powerful message to every elected official in this country.
02:04Public service is a profound responsibility and should be a noble calling.
02:11When that's perverted by greed and dishonesty, it robs us of our trust.