New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday he is forging ahead and will not resign despite a swirl of federal investigations into his administration.
“I’m stepping up, not stepping down,” Mr. Adams, a Democrat, said at a press conference. “I have a city to run.”
Federal authorities seized phones from Mr. Adams and his inner circle this year, and agents are reportedly looking into whether the Turkish government funneled illegal contributions to this campaign. The inquiry has broadened into his trips to Turkey and interactions with other countries, including Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan, according to The New York Times.
Mr. Adams says he’s done nothing wrong, and New Yorkers are not focused on the probes.
He kept a light mood during his press conference, saying he has a good relationship with the Jewish community and supports Israel. He said he traveled to Israel and Qatar as mayor, and both trips met the criteria for mayoral trips.
“I have never been to Uzbekistan. I would love to go there. I heard it’s a beautiful country,” Mr. Adams said.
He said he traveled to Seoul, South Korea, when he was a member of the New York state Senate.
Mr. Adams’ police commissioner, Edward A. Caban, stepped down amid a probe into his brother and the nightlife industry, and the mayor’s chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, quit abruptly this month, reportedly after the mayor rejected her advice to fire certain staff.
The mayor is getting tired of questions about the investigations, saying he cannot comment each day on pending probes.
“I have to fight for New Yorkers, and we have done that,” Mr. Adams said. “We’re going to continue to do that.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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