Good morning. It’s Monday. Today we’ll look at how federal investigations of Mayor Eric Adams’s inner circle could affect his ability to run the city.
The developments last week were stunning: As federal agents took the cellphones of five officials in Mayor Eric Adams’s inner circle, it became clear that several federal investigations were swirling around City Hall.
The details have yet to become clear. But the information that came out was enough to make for an extraordinarily difficult week for Adams, a Democrat and former police captain who once said he often reminded his team, “‘We’ve got to follow the law, got to follow the law,’ almost to the point that I am annoying.”
I asked Emma G. Fitzsimmons, our City Hall bureau chief, to explain what happened last week, what happens next — and how Adams’s ability to govern might be affected.
We’ve known for some time that there was an investigation of the mayor and his campaign fund-raising. What we learned last week was that two other federal investigations have reached into the mayor’s inner circle. What happens now? Can he and his team still manage the city?
Adams has said that he is focused on his job and won’t let the investigations distract him.
He said in a television interview on Friday that he had full confidence in his police commissioner, Edward Caban, who is the focus of one investigation, and that New Yorkers believe in due process. On Sunday, he defended himself during visits to two Black churches and compared himself to the biblical figure Job.
But the news that several members of his inner circle had had their phones seized or homes searched was clearly unnerving for the mayor and his administration. Adams will keep focusing on his message that crime is down and jobs are up. But The New York Post’s editorial board has already called on the mayor to ask Caban to resign.
What are the two investigations that came to light last week? And what’s the next step for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which is leading the two investigations?
The nature of the investigations is unclear. It appears that one is focused on the senior City Hall officials and the other involves Caban. Those investigations are separate from an ongoing federal investigation into the mayor and his 2021 campaign, and another that is focused on Winnie Greco, his director of Asian affairs.
Adams is running for re-election, and the Democratic primary is in June next year. Already, prominent candidates have entered the race and more could follow, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. We’re not sure what might happen with the investigations between now and then.
Adams has started a legal-defense fund to pay for expenses related to the campaign inquiry. Neither he nor anyone in his inner circle has been accused of any crimes.
Isn’t all of this a distraction for City Hall and city government, even if the mayor says it’s not?
I spoke to Maya Wiley, a former top official under Mayor Bill de Blasio, and she said that the garbage would still be picked up and that the schools would operate normally.
But the investigations could affect the work of top officials who are making big decisions or trying to advance major policies.
The investigations could also hurt the credibility of city officials and distract them at a critical moment. The city is facing many pressing challenges, including an affordability crisis and an influx of migrants. The Adams administration is pushing the City Council for a new housing plan known as the City of Yes. And the mayor’s nominee to be the city’s top lawyer, Randy Mastro, is being voted on this week by the Council and is likely to be voted down.
The mayor’s office understands that city officials are worried. The mayor’s chief of staff convened an emergency call shortly after news of the cellphone seizures broke on Thursday and acknowledged that the news was anxiety-producing. But she asked the roughly 50 officials on the call to stay focused on their work as public servants.
Adams was once a rising star among Democrats. What have the investigations done to his standing, and to his chances when he runs for re-election next year?
His poll numbers are dismal, and he was snubbed at the Democratic National Convention last month in Chicago. He did not receive a speaking slot, even though other big-city mayors, including Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago and Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles, did. New Yorkers have concerns about several issues, including crime on the subway and budget cuts, and some are worried about whether the mayor and his team are trustworthy, according to polls.
Brad Lander, the city comptroller, is running for mayor. So are Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn, and Scott Stringer, a former city comptroller.
What about Adams’s claims that he’s being held to a different standard than other mayors and that forces are conspiring to deny him another term?
Adams is New York City’s second Black mayor, and he has been determined from Day 1 not to be a one-term mayor, like David Dinkins, the first Black mayor. There is no doubt that Adams has faced discrimination over the course of his career. He also grew up in a working-class family in Queens and has had different life experiences from other mayors. But Adams has to take responsibility for his record and for the people he hired for top jobs. Ethical concerns were raised about several of them long before these investigations began.
Weather
Enjoy a sunny day in the high 70s. At night it will be partly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to the low 60s.
ALTERNATE-SIDE PARKING
In effect until Oct. 3 (Rosh Hashana).
The latest New York news
-
Seeking election as a felon: Donald Trump’s sentencing in his criminal case in Manhattan was delayed, thanks in part to his legal resources and political status. This raised a question: Is he above the law?
-
A man is accused of plotting to kill Jews: A 20-year-old Pakistani citizen was arrested in Canada after plotting to carry out a mass shooting at a Jewish center in New York, according to the Justice Department.
-
On the road to the Met, a new opera changed: Jeanine Tesori and George Brant discuss the first time they heard “Grounded,” which will open the Metropolitan Opera’s season on Sept. 23, and how they knew what they would change for the Met.
-
Not just any retirement: The byline of Robert D. McFadden, who retired last week, has been one of the most distinguished in the history of The New York Times. For years he was a rewrite reporter, writing big breaking-news stories. He has spent the last decade or so writing obituaries. Here is a sampler.
-
A U.S. Open after-party: Celebrities like Issa Rae and Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and former tennis stars like Maria Sharapova and James Blake, helped close out the tournament in style.
METROPOLITAN diary
Hesitation blues
Dear Diary:
It’s hot on the platform. The uptown 1 arrives, and I step on.
A man sitting to my left has earbuds in. I look over his shoulder, straining to see what he’s listening to. It’s one of my greatest flaws. I’m not a music snob, but I am a music busybody. I don’t recognize the song, but the title is romantic-sounding, and the album art is colorful.
I turn back to my own phone and shuffle my “liked” songs. I start a Sudoku game. At 86th Street, I look over at the man to my left. He, too, is playing Sudoku.
People come and go. There should be an eight in the center left square of the top right cell of his game. I almost tap his shoulder to tell him, but I hesitate. I’ll tell him when I get off.
110th Street. We’re both immersed in our games. People get off; people get on. As the train is about to leave the station, he jumps up and strides to the door before I can say a word.
There is no sound in my ears. I paused my music a long time ago. I watch the darkness rushing past. The train slows to a stop.
116th Street. I get off, walk up the steps and emerge silently into the light.
— Lauren Zhang
Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send submissions here and read more Metropolitan Diary here.
Glad we could get together here. See you tomorrow. — J.B.
P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here.
Melissa Guerrero and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at [email protected].
Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.
The post What the Mayor’s Troubles Mean for New York appeared first on New York Times.
