It’s going from bad to worse for Eric Adams. FBI agents earlier this week seized the New York City mayor’s electronic devices as part of an ongoing investigation into possible foreign campaign contributions, according to a report from The New York Times on Friday.
Citing anonymous sources, the Times reported a stunning scene that took place on Monday:
The agents approached the mayor on the street and asked his security detail to step away, one of the people said. They climbed into his S.U.V. with him and, pursuant to a court-authorized warrant, took his devices, the person said.
Law enforcement took two cellphones and an iPad, according to CNN. The devices were later returned to him.
The seizure signals growing pressure on Adams from a federal probe into whether his 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with Turkish nationals and the Turkish government to receive illegal campaign donations through straw donors. Adams’ team said he was cooperating with the investigation, and the mayor said he had “nothing to hide” in a statement.
But even if no one has been accused of wrongdoing in the probe as of yet, it certainly does not bode well for Adams that federal agents are interested in his personal communications.
His administration and his campaign have also been linked to three other investigations or indictments, local news outlet The City reported, although none of those has involved allegations of wrongdoing on his part. These include indictments against six people, including a former NYPD deputy inspector, for allegedly bundling illegal donations to Adams’ 2021 campaign (two have pleaded guilty); and bribery charges against an aide, whom Adams reportedly told to “watch his back and watch his phones,” according to the Daily News (Adams has denied making the remark, and the aide has pleaded not guilty).
The seizure of Adams’ devices, however, appears to be part of a federal investigation that took the public — and Adams — by surprise, when the apartment of Brianna Suggs, the mayor’s chief fundraiser, was raided by federal agents on Nov. 2. Adams, who was scheduled to meet with White House officials in Washington, D.C., that day, cut his trip short and flew back to New York to “address a matter,” local news site Hell Gate reported. Adams addressed the raid later that night, saying he holds his campaign “to the highest ethical standards,” and that he will “fully participate” in an inquiry.
The mayor has projected an air of confidence despite the developments. He told reporters on Nov. 8 that he was in touch with federal investigators and asserted that he had nothing to fear, The Associated Press reported.
“It would really shock me if someone that was hired by my campaign did something that’s inappropriate,” the mayor said. “Not only would it shock me, it would hurt me.”