*Updated: Sept. 26, 2024, 3:50 p.m. ET*
Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, announced that Mayor Eric Adams has been charged with taking over $100,000 in graft and misusing his powers to assist Turkey. In a news conference, Adams maintained his innocence, urging New Yorkers to wait for his defense: “I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense.”
**Key Updates:**
- **Charges**: Mayor Adams faces five federal charges, including bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations.
- **Indictment Details**: The indictment was made public following a search of the mayor's residence, Gracie Mansion, and stems from an investigation that began in 2021. Prosecutors allege that the illegal activities commenced while Adams served as a prominent elected official in Brooklyn and persisted after he took office as mayor.
- **Historical Context**: Adams is the first sitting mayor in New York City history to be charged with a crime, placing him in unprecedented circumstances.
- **Political Fallout**: Calls for his resignation are increasing, and several key appointees have already left the administration. His political allies are becoming more cautious in their support amid this crisis.
- **Community Reaction**: Prominent Black leaders in the city, who have supported Adams, are grappling with the implications of the indictment and expressing concern over his confrontational stance toward the Justice Department. Adams has suggested that he is being targeted for opposing the Biden-Harris administration on immigration issues.
**Next Steps**: The situation remains fluid as more developments unfold in this significant political crisis for Mayor Adams.
