New York Mayor Eric Adams Faces Calls to Resign After Dawn Raid and Indictment

New York City Mayor Eric Adams faced mounting calls to resign Thursday after federal agents raided the mayor’s Manhattan mansion before dawn after a federal grand jury reportedly indicted him on corruption charges.

Federal agents searched Adams’ official residence Thursday morning, a surprise move that appeared to cap a long-running corruption investigation into whether the mayor and others colluded with the Turkish government and possibly other countries to funnel illegal foreign money into his campaign coffers.

The search of Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side began around 6 a.m., just hours before the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and officials from the FBI and the city’s Bureau of Investigation were expected to announce federal charges against Adams and unseat the indictment against him.

The news radio station 1010 Wins reported that the charges against Adams likely fell under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara). According to the New York Times, authorities have also requested information about Adams’ interactions with Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan.

In early November 2023, the site, citing a search warrant, reported that federal authorities were investigating Adams’ 2021 campaign as possibly accepting illegal donations, including from the Turkish government.

Adams, a Democrat who would become the first of the city’s 110 mayors to face criminal charges while in office, said he expected to be charged with federal crimes and has declared his innocence. He added that if charges were filed, they would be “completely false, based on lies.” He vowed to remain in office while he fights them.

Ahead of Adams’ indictment on Wednesday, members of the Democrats’ progressive wing, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the Bronx, called for Adams’ resignation.

Ocasio-Cortez said that after the resignation of several city officials, including the police chief, “I don’t see how Mayor Adams can continue to govern New York City.”

“For the good of the city, he should resign,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

New York State Auditor Brad Lander said Wednesday was “a sad day for the people of New York” after news of the indictment broke, and that “the most appropriate path forward” was for Adams to step aside.

The city’s chief financial officer, who plans to run against Adams in 2025, added that Adams deserves the presumption of innocence but said, “It’s clear that defending himself against serious federal charges will take a significant amount of the time and attention needed to run this great city.”

Scott Stringer, the mayoral candidate and Manhattan borough president, said the mayor should resign so other leaders can “focus on the business of the city.”

“His fight is not our fight,” Stringer said.

But other members of the City Council had mixed reactions. Oswald Feliz said he was “not there yet” in calling for Adams to step down.

Progressive Chi Ossé of Brooklyn said: “Crooked Officer Eric Adams needs to resign. This started as a corruption investigation into his campaign and now half the leadership has been sidelined. I’m not going to lie – they look guilty.

“More importantly, no one is running our city right now. Our schools, our health care, our police have no leadership. This city of 9 million people needs someone to steer the ship.”

City Council members including Tiffany Cabán, Alexa Avilés, Shekar Krishnan, Lincoln Restler, Chris Banks and Bob Holden have also called for Adams to resign.

If Adams is forced to resign, the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, will become mayor and must call a new election within 80 days.

The charges come as the city is packed with foreign diplomats from the UN General Assembly, including several people with whom Adams may have had contact.

Shortly before the announcement, Adams appeared at a reception in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art attended by Joe Biden and Jill Biden, who both gave speeches. Adams did not address the event.

New York City Hall has been in turmoil over the past month. Police Chief Edward Caban resigned earlier this month after FBI agents seized his phone. Days later, Adams’s chief legal adviser resigned, saying she “could no longer effectively serve” in the role.

This week, the city’s public schools chancellor, David Banks, said he would retire at the end of the year. His phone had already been confiscated.

The only elected official in New York with the power to override Adams is New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who has not yet commented on the developments.