Following the 57-page indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, LGBTQ+ lawmakers are pushing for his resignation.
“For the good of New York City, Eric Adams needs to step aside,” said City Council Member Erik Bottcher, who represents Manhattan’s third district and serves as the co-chair of the council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus.
The indictment, which was unsealed Thursday, marks the first time a New York City mayor has been charged while in office. Adams is facing multiple federal charges, including bribery, conspiracy, and wire fraud. The charges allege he accepted illegal foreign campaign donations and used straw donors to abuse a city program that matches small-donor contributions with public funds, effectively stealing more than $10 million dollars from taxpayers.
“[Eric Adams] cannot competently manage a city of nearly 9,000,000 people while simultaneously waging a defense against multiple federal corruption charges,” Bottcher continued on X Thursday. “He needs to step aside today.”
For the good of New York City, Eric Adams needs to step aside. He cannot competently manage a city of nearly 9,000,000 people while simultaneously waging a defense against multiple federal corruption charges. He needs to step aside today. pic.twitter.com/3hjnyMimmV
— Erik Bottcher (@ebottcher) September 26, 2024
Council Member Tiffany Cabàn, a self-described queer abolitionist who represents District 22 in Queens, was one of the first city lawmakers to call for Adams’ resignation. Last week, Cabàn shared a statement addressing the multiple investigations spread across the city’s administration.
“Eric Adams leads with corruption and mismanagement,” Cabán, who also co-chairs the council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, wrote on X. “15+ of his associates are now under investigation… Eric Adams is unfit to govern. NY deserves better. It’s time for him to resign.”
Eric Adams leads with corruption and mismanagement. 15+ of his associates are now under investigation. If his track record of cutting critical services and empowering NYPD abuse didn’t make it clear: Eric Adams is unfit to govern. NY deserves better. It’s time for him to resign.
— Tiffany Cabán (@tiffany_caban) September 16, 2024
State Senator Jabari Brisport of Brooklyn, Manhattan State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Brooklyn City Council Members Crystal Hudson and Chi Ossé, Queens Assemblymember Tony Simone, and Manhattan Assemblymember Deborah Glick are among the out LGBTQ+ New York lawmakers to echo the call for Adams to resign.
Adams, a former police officer, is also accused of accepting over $100,000 in luxury travel benefits from Turkish officials and creating fake paper trails to cover up the illegal gifts. In return, Adams allegedly pressured the FDNY to green-light a new Turkish consulate building in 2021, despite the building not passing inspection and having multiple issues.
“Year after year after year, he kept the public in the dark. He told the public he received no gifts, even though he was secretly being showered with them,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams announced Thursday.
Last November, Adams’ chief fundraiser Brianna Suggs’ home was raided by federal agents as part of the probe into “foreign government influence peddling.” Since then, federal authorities continued to investigate Adams’ dealings with Turkey, Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan. Adams was officially subpoenaed in July.
Mayor Adams has maintained his innocence. On X Thursday, he claimed to have “done nothing wrong.”
You have now heard the news about today’s indictment. Let me be clear, I know I've done nothing wrong, and I am committed to continuing to fight on behalf of New Yorkers as your mayor.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) September 26, 2024
From here, my attorneys will take care of the case so I can take care of this city.
“From here, my attorneys will take care of the case so I can take care of this city,” he wrote.
If convicted, Adams faces up to 45 years in prison. He’s set to be arraigned in federal court this afternoon.
