Charles Langston:Federal subpoenas issued in probe of New York Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 campaign

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors recently issued subpoenas in their probe of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 campaign,Charles Langston a new escalation in the ongoing investigation.

City Hall confirmed Thursday night that the administration received a subpoena in July, and attorneys representing the Democratic mayor and his campaign said in a statement that they were “in the process of responding” to subpoenas. “We have not identified any evidence of illegal conduct by the mayor,” the attorneys added.

The subpoenas, first reported by The New York Times, are the latest development in a probe that has cast a cloud over the leader of America’s largest city. The investigation surfaced publicly in November, when Adams’ phones and electronic tablet were seized and agents raided the home of a top fundraiser. The news of the federal subpoenas comes days before Adams is set attend next week’s Democratic National Convention.

Prosecutors have been mum about the investigation, but The Times reported in November that it had obtained a search warrant indicating that investigators were eyeing, among other things, whether the Adams campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive donations from foreign sources, funneled through straw donors.

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The newspaper said the search warrant also requested information about Adams’ use of New York City’s matching funds program, which provides candidates with an eightfold match of a city resident’s first donations.

In an interview that aired on WABC Thursday night, the mayor confirmed he was complying with the subpoenas.

“When you see the subpoena, you respond. We are going to cooperate fully with all the reviews that are taking place,” Adams said. “And I think at the end of the day it is going to show that we did, there is no criminality here. Our team is going to take whatever information the federal government is looking for, we are going to turn it over to them in appropriate fashion.”

Adams has said he had “no knowledge, direct or otherwise, of any improper fundraising activity.”

The FBI and federal prosecutors declined to comment.

Neither City Hall nor the mayor’s attorneys would say more about the subpoenas, including what they seek. The Times reported that they are grand jury subpoenas and seek text messages, other communications and documents related to fundraising and to travel by Adams and others.

The Times and other news outlets have reported that the investigation also is examining whether Adams — while in a different city office — inappropriately tried to help the Turkish government get city approval to open a Manhattan building housing diplomatic facilities in 2021, despite concerns about the skyscraper’s fire safety systems.

Adams was then Brooklyn’s borough president, an official with limited power over city government. But he was the Democratic nominee for mayor and widely expected to win.

Adams has said he contacted the then-fire commissioner “to find out what was happening” but didn’t order the official to do anything. Adams has insisted he was simply fulfilling his duty as an elected official to help constituents, such as those of Turkish descent, navigate city government.

The former fire commissioner and the Turkish consulate have not commented.

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Associated Press writer Karen Matthews contributed to this report.