Adams- Accused or Excused? A Criminal in NYC’s Mayor
- Sophie Errington
- Aug 7
- 2 min read
Eric Adams. The 110th mayor of New York and, until recently, an incontestable pick for the Democrats since 2021. Although once familiar for his zero-tolerance policies on crime, he now remains better known for his involvement in his own political corruption scandal.
Following his indictment in September 2024, Adams has been accused of bribery, conspiracy, fraud, and soliciting illegal campaign contributions, denying all allegations. It should then be of no surprise that Adams has since been named ‘a true friend of Turkey’, having allegedly accepted $100,000 in bribes from Turkish nationals, hoping to advance their own interests. These interests have most infamously included a priority in establishing a 36-story ministry in Manhattan, the ‘Turkish House’, a believed abuse of power. The extensive pressure placed on New York’s Fire department into neglecting fire safety concerns, was done so with the aim of fast tracking the consulate’s development. This, along with a series of greater accusations made in the case’s 57-page indictment, has led many to call the legitimacy of Adam’s actions and policies into question, particularly by his own party.
These actions, of course, have not solely benefited his Turkish contributors, but Adams himself. Accusations of him having received an unpaid life of luxury continue to come to light in the most recent scandal, with the case against him claiming that this lifestyle extends as far back as 2014, when the scheming for his election seemingly began.
These controversial affairs bring us now to the present- February 2025. A time of both a second Trump term, and (coincidentally) a challenging period to America’s judicial system. Recent ‘requests’ by the U.S Department of Justice to drop charges against Adams has predictably come with a great deal of criticism, with the United States’ president himself having supported all claims to Adam’s innocence. While the move to release Adams of his alleged crimes will undoubtedly provide the Trump administration with yet another ally, this endorsement will continue to do no favours for the sympathy Adams will receive from his own party, only polarising the democrats more greatly. And so, despite the persistence of the courts to continue the case, many still remain concerned with the weakening appearance of the rule of law in the U.S, believing this to be yet another test to the liberal democratic values America claims to embody as a nation. So while the result is one that is yet to be seen, one might not struggle to share a common view- Adams is just a microcosm for America’s democratic decline.
Bibliography:
Comments