Mayor Adams responded Tuesday to new reports that subpoenas issued by federal prosecutors to him, his election committee and City Hall included demands for information about interactions with five countries as part of an investigation into whether his 2021 campaign accepted illegal contributions from Turkey.
The countries are Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan, according to a report in the New York Times.
Responding to questions about the subpoenas at his weekly press availability, Adams asked why it would be surprising that he had amicable relationships with foreign countries.
“The largest Jewish population outside of Israel is in New York. Yes, I have a good relationship with Israel, as in many countries,” he said. “… Why would it be surprise that I have a relationship with Israel, one of our partners?”
The full scope of the Southern District of New York’s investigation remains unclear, but sources have previously told the Daily News feds are looking at a range of issues including Adams’ multiple trips to Turkey, campaign donations from a company with ties to Turkey and what role Adams may have plsyed in the fast-tracking of the opening of a Turkish consulate in New York City.
The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office declined to comment.
The probe into the campaign’s ties to Turkey is among several probes now hovering over the Adams’ administration. Many of his top aides have been raided in the past few weeks as the feds investigate possible corruption.
In 2022, he traveled to Qatar for the World Cup, saying he paid for the trip himself. Edward Caban, the former police commissioner who recently resigned after he had electronics seized, traveled to the country last year on Qatar’s dime.
Adams visited Israel in 2023. He traveled to Seoul, South Korea, when he was in the state Senate, and said Tuesday that he has never visited Uzbekistan.
A federal grand jury has been reviewing evidence as part of the investigation since at least since June, The News first reported.
“Whatever information is needed, we’re going to turn over, but respect the fact that our federal agencies have stated they don’t want us talking on these reviews as they take place,” Adams said on Tuesday.
The probe into foreign involvement in the Adams’ 2021 campaign spilled into public view last November, when the feds raided the homes of Rana Abbasova, a City Hall aide, Brianna Suggs, a top campaign fundraiser, and Cenk Öcal, a former Turkish Airlines executive and member of the mayor’s transition team.
With Molly Crane-Newman
