The president of the New York City Council, Eric Adams, made his most expressive defense on Monday, since being targeted by federal corruption charges.
In his opinion, what is happening is a “test” that will not distract him from governing, avoiding answering questions about the investigation, for more than an hour, during a meeting with journalists at the municipality.
At the time, he declined to answer questions about the laws he is accused of having violated, the degradation of his security clearance and whether he truly believes the accusation is politically motivated.
Instead, he declared himself a battle-tested executive who is confident he will overcome the “obstacles.”
Adams was accused by federal prosecutors of soliciting and accepting illegal financial contributions to election campaigns and more than one hundred thousand dollars in luxurious trips from Turkish and other foreign leaders seeking to gain his influence.
In return, according to the indictment, he did favors that benefited Turkey, including pushing for the opening of a consulate in Manhattan, overcoming objections from firefighters who questioned the building’s safety.
The charges against Adams also come at the same time that federal investigators are conducting multiple inquiries into several of his administration’s top officials, including one of his top aides, Tim Pearson.
