Mayor Eric Adams took the New York City Campaign Finance Board to court Tuesday in hopes of reversing its decision to deny him $3.4 million in matching funds for his independent reelection campaign.
The mayor’s legal team argued in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn that the board should not withhold the green from Adams over its suspicion he’s a campaign finance crook because the federal indictment — where its mistrust stems from — has been dismissed.
An Adams campaign spokesperson told The Post the board’s interpretation of the rules has “created unfair obstacles” for the mayor.
“This case is about protecting the integrity of the electoral process and ensuring that all candidates can compete on a level playing field without facing arbitrary restrictions,” the spokesperson said.
The finance board has denied Adams’ request for matching funds four times, dating back to last year, arguing there is reason to believe he has engaged in “conduct detrimental” to the program by citing the historic indictment.
Among the federal charges Adams faced were soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals and conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals.
But the case was tossed for good in April after President Trump’s Department of Justice controversially moved to end the prosecution.
Judge Dale Ho dismissed the case permanently “without prejudice,” noting his ruling was not based on the merits, but done so the White House couldn’t hold the charges over Adams’ head.
“If the CFB has any evidence beyond the indictment, it would have relied on that evidence publicly to support its determination because of its stated commitment to transparency,” lawyer Robert Spolzino argued in the Tuesday suit, first reported by Politico.
“The CFB’s failure to cite any evidence to support its determination other than the indictment establishes that the CFB has no other such evidence.”
The CFB has also at times argued Adams’ failure to submit certain information has prevented him from getting the funds, though the lawsuit claimed Tuesday that his campaign has since submitted the paperwork.
Spolzino went on to claim the CFB’s decision “sets a dangerous precedent, empowering the CFB to sit as judge, jury, and executioner based on allegations and press reports, not evidence.”
The board declined to comment on the legal action Tuesday night.
Adams decided in April to forgo the Democratic primary and instead run as an independent amid poor polling.
He’s raised $4.5 million in total for his re-election bid and has $2.7 million in hand.
The next chance for Adams to get matching funds is July.
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