Bridget Bergen
Appearances
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Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
Yeah, he was charged in September in a five-count criminal indictment. Prosecutors allege that Adams accepted about $100,000 in luxury travel perks, as well as illegal foreign campaign contributions from people connected to the Turkish government in exchange for official acts from City Hall.
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Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
Adams, as you said, has pleaded not guilty to those charges and has been really pretty vocal about calling the case politically motivated without really any evidence. He says it was payback for speaking out against the Biden administration's handling of the migrant crisis. And since President Trump's election, he's been very careful not to criticize him.
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Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
He visited him at Mar-a-Lago, attended the inauguration. Adams even held a meeting yesterday with heads of city agencies, according to sources at the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on behalf of the administration. They were also told not to publicly criticize President Trump.
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Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
So they sent a memo to federal prosecutors outlining two very specific reasons. First, it says the charges were filed too close to the mayor's reelection. And the second reason relates to the Trump administration's ongoing immigration enforcement actions.
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Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
The memo states that the pending prosecution has, quote, unduly restricted the mayor's ability to devote his full attention to illegal immigration and really his ability to support the Trump administration's efforts. The memo also seeks to have the mayor's security clearance restored and says that no further steps should be taken as it relates to the investigation, at least for now.
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Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
And what is the mayor saying? So there was a post on the social media platform X last night. It was from a Fox News reporter who actually caught up with the mayor who was out at a restaurant. Adams has said he's speaking with his attorney, still looking at what's happening. Normally on Tuesdays, he holds a weekly off-topic press conference on
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Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
But instead, he's scheduled to deliver an address today at noon that's going to stream online. So at this point, there's not going to be any chance for reporters to really ask him about any questions about whatever it is he announces. So at this point, does this all mean that Adam's legal troubles are over? Well, not quite yet, Layla. Now the acting U.S.
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Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
attorney of the Southern District will need to decide whether to follow the direction in that memo, and the judge overseeing the case would need to decide on whether to sign off on dropping the charges. Those actions could set off another set of repercussions in this office that's really known for taking on these high-profile corruption cases. We haven't heard from the Southern District yet.
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Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
It's also worth noting that the memo explicitly says the charges will be dropped without prejudice, which means they could potentially be brought again. The memo states the case should be reviewed after the general election in November.
Up First from NPR
Jordan's King In Washington, New Tariffs, NYC Mayor's Corruption Charges
Thank you.