NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams’ legal team filed suit Tuesday, seeking sanctions on federal prosecutors for leaking details of their investigation to the media.
This as the mayor, himself, made it clear he’s running New York City and has no plans to resign.
“Obstacles are no reason to surrender”
Adams strode down a corridor at City Hall and with a confident thumb’s up entered a packed news conference, where just about every single question dealt with the federal indictment that made him the first sitting mayor in the city’s history to face criminal charges. He made it clear he is in charge and is not going anywhere.
“When you wake up one day and you’re losing your sight from diabetes, those are real hurdles. When you have a learning disability, those are real hurdles, and so obstacles are no reason to surrender.”
The news conference was held as the mayor’s legal team asked a judge to sanction federal prosecutors for a series of media leaks about their investigation that began over 10 months ago with the raid on the home of his chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs.
“My understanding is that grand jury testimony and actions are secret. That is the justice system. We try cases in court rooms, not in board rooms or the streets,” Adams said. “This is just not right, throughout the 10 months, to have this.”
A spokesperson for the Manhattan U.S. attorney declined comment on the charges from Team Adams that the office violated grand jury secrecy rules.
Mayor Adams stays proactive, announces appointments
To prove he is in charge the mayor made two appointments. He nominated Muriel Goode-Trufant, a longtime member of the city Law Department, to serve as New York City’s corporation counsel, and he named Allison Stoddart as his chief counsel.
The mayor also sought to defend making calls to the FDNY about the safety issues at the Turkish consulate in Midtown, which is a key component of the indictment. He stands charged with accepting free trips from Turkish officials in exchange for political favors.
“Every elected official in the city fields calls from constituents, fields calls from constituents asking to somehow navigate the bureaucracy of government. If an elected official tells you they’re not doing that, they’re not doing their job,” Adams said.
However, Adams moves didn’t stop City Comptroller Brad Lander from demanding information from the FDNY and the Department of Buildings about safety inspections of the consulate since Adams took office. Lander has announced plans to run for mayor next year.
