New York Mayor Eric Adams faces charges and vows to contest the charges

New York Mayor Eric Adams said he expected to face federal crimes and maintained his innocence after The New York Times reported that he had already been charged following a lengthy federal corruption investigation.

Cr Adams said in a video message that if charges were brought, they would be “completely false and based on lies”.

He vowed to stay in office while fighting against them.

“If I am accused, I know I am innocent,” he said.

“I will demand an immediate trial so that New Yorkers can know the truth.”

The charges are expected to be filed on Thursday local time when Cr Adams appears in court, the Times reported.

These actions come after the FBI searched Cr Adams' electronic devices last November and in the wake of a series of resignations of senior city officials in recent weeks as his administration became embroiled in numerous federal corruption investigations.

However, the exact charges remain unclear.

It is also unclear whether Cr Adams will be arrested or turn himself in voluntarily.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, which brought the charges, declined to comment.

Lawyers for Cr Adams did not immediately respond to a request for comment. They only sent a transcript of his video statement and said the mayor was cooperating with the investigation, but did not say what the matter was.

Cr Adams said the charges “came as no surprise” given the “leaks and rumours” which he said were aimed at undermining his credibility.

In early November 2023, the Times reported, citing a search warrant, that federal authorities were investigating the possible acceptance of illegal donations, including from the Turkish government, by Cr Adams' 2021 campaign.

The investigation, conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, focused on whether Cr Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign colluded with a Brooklyn construction company to funnel foreign money into the campaign through a sham donor scheme, the Times reported.

According to the Times, authorities have also sought information about Cr Adams' contacts with Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan.

Democratic politicians want to challenge Adams

The case is likely to complicate any re-election in 2025.

Cr Adams is a Democrat and the first of the city's 110 mayors to face criminal charges during his time in office.

He defied calls from Democratic politicians for his resignation, saying: “You elected me to lead this city and I will lead it.”

Other Democratic politicians, including New York Comptroller Brad Lander, plan to challenge Cr Adams – once a key ally of Democratic President Joe Biden – for the party's nomination.

“The best path forward is for him to resign so that the city of New York gets the full attention its leadership demands,” Lander said on X, joining a growing list of politicians calling for his resignation.

Before the news broke, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also a Democrat, was the first congresswoman to call on him to resign, saying it was “for the good of the city.”

Shortly before the announcement, Cr Adams appeared at a reception at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, attended by Joe and Jill Biden, who both made remarks.

If he is forced out of office, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would become mayor of the largest city in the USA, with around 8.3 million inhabitants.

Wires