Eric Adams requests hearing on alleged secrecy violations in bribery case

Lawyers for Eric Adams, the indicted New York City mayor, asked a federal court Monday to hold an evidentiary hearing about what they claim are secrecy violations by government prosecutors.

Adams’ lawyers argue that the New York Times’ leaks over the past year amount to prejudicing the public against the mayor.

“By the time that charges against Mayor Adams were unsealed on September 26, 2024, most of the details of the indictment and the evidence underpinning the government’s case (weak as it is) had already been widely reported in the national and local press,” the filing says.

The filing comes days after Adams’ defense team asked a federal judge to throw out the bribery charges against the mayor, which include accepting travel upgrades and and illegal campaign contributions, arguing that they do not meet the federal definitions for the charge.

Tuesday’s filing comes less than 24 hours after Adams lost another senior aide. Timothy Pearson, one of the mayor’s closest advisers, submitted his resignation a week after federal agents raided his home, seizing cellphones, documents and cash.

In what is likely to be a long battle between Adams, the first sitting New York mayor to be charged with crimes in modern history, and federal prosecutors, the mayor is arguing that the favors he received from Turkish officials, which prosecutors say were worth more than $100,000, were not bribes under federal law.

“Congressmen get upgrades. They get corner suites. They get better tables at restaurants. They get free appetizers. They have their iced tea filled up,” said his attorney, Alex Spiro. “Courtesies to politicians are not federal crimes.”

Adams’ lawyers argue that one of the crimes he is accused of – pressuring the New York department of buildings to approve Turkey’s new diplomatic consulate over fire department objections – do not fall under federal statutes in part because the decision was made before he became mayor in 2022, while he was the Brooklyn borough president.

Kathy Hochul, the Democratic New York governor, who has the power to remove Adams, has indicated she is not ready to give up on his administration.

“I am giving the mayor an opportunity now to demonstrate to New Yorkers – and to me – that we are righting the ship, that we have the opportunity to instill the confidence that I think is wavering right now and to power forward with an effective government,” she said at a press conference Monday.

Hochul is perceived to be in a tough position regarding the mayor, since Adams has broad support among Jewish and Black voters and is under pressure to return New York’s outlying suburban districts to her party’s control in Congress next month.

Top Black leaders, including Al Sharpton, have urged Hochul not to remove the mayor. Hochul said that she has “a lot of respect” for Sharpton and his leadership and that she speaks with him frequently.

Moreover, Chuck Schumer, the US Senate majority leader, and Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader – both New Yorkers from Brooklyn like Adams, and who would likely have a say in Hochul’s decision – have signaled that they are not prepared to move against the mayor.

Schumer said last week “the charges are serious, and the legal process should now play out speedily and fairly”.

Jeffries sounded a similar note, writing in a statement: “Eric Adams is entitled to the presumption of innocence … a jury of the Mayor’s peers will now evaluate the charges in the indictment and ultimately render a determination.”

Hochul declined to say whether she had spoken to Schumer or Jeffries. “I’ve had conversations with many people, as one would expect,” she said.

For his part, Adams has maintained his innocence and has repeatedly denied that he would step down despite growing calls for his resignation. Speaking at the Emmanuel Presbyterian Reformed Church in the Bronx on Sunday, he projected strength in the face of his corruption charges. “I’m not going to resign, I’m going to reign,” Adams told congregants.