New York City Mayor Eric Adams is seeking to dismiss the bribery charges against him. His attorney, Alex Spiro, held a press conference Monday that was a sign of just how firmly Adams is dug in, and portends a protracted and public brawl between City Hall and the U.S. attorney Damian Williams that could have national political repercussions, reports Politico. The charges, are predicated on the mayor's allegedly accepting more than $100,000 worth of free travel perks facilitated by officials in the Turkish consul general’s office, a Turkish Airlines manager and others. In exchange, prosecutors allege, Adams pressured officials in the city’s fire department to fast-track the opening of the Turkish Embassy in Manhattan despite fire safety concerns.
Spiro says this does not constitute a quid-pro-quo bribery scheme. “This is not sufficient for federal criminal liability,” he said. “There is no contemporary exchange of this for that.” He says a U.S. Supreme Court case requires prosecutors to establish a gift was exchanged for an official promising a specific government action. Spiro said Adams accepted “gratuities” from Turkish officials years before the Turkish Consulate was constructed. He argued there is no way the freebies could have been provided for the specific fire safety issue. He portrayed the wining and dining of Adams as run-of-the-mill — and legal — offerings meant to curry favor with elected officials. “Courtesies to politicians are not federal crimes. … Congressmen get upgrades,” he said. “They get corner suites. They get better tables at restaurants. They get free appetizers. They have their ice tea filled up." As for the other charges, which relate to Adams’ 2021 campaign's accepting illegal straw donors and illegal foreign contributions, Spiro said the mayor did not know about any illicit cash. On Tuesday, Adams's legal team asked a judge to investigate a year s worth of leaks by federal officials about the case arguing that the steady drip of information has made a fair trial impossible.
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