United States: Democratic mayor of New York identified, his residence searched

“I voted for him because he was a former police officer, I thought the town needed him. And I found out that a black mayor was very positive after the “Black Lives Matter” movement. But it is a disappointment. He needs to resign,” New York voter Bartholomew Bland told AFP as he crossed Manhattan’s crowded Grand Central station. His conviction also risks embarrassing the Democratic camp, forty days before the presidential election between Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, neck and neck in the polls.

“I am innocent.” Eric Adams, the second African-American mayor in New York history, pleaded “innocent” Wednesday night. “I always knew that if I stood up for the interests of New Yorkers, I would be a target — and I became one,” he said in a statement. “If I am accused, I am innocent and I will fight with all my strength and spirit,” said the 64-year-old mayor. At least four federal investigations are underway, including three led by Manhattan prosecutors, targeting the mayor and those close to him, several of whom have fired him. quit a few days ago.

Even before his indictment, New York political analyst Doug Muzzio told AFP on Wednesday that Eric Adams “couldn’t run away from his responsibilities”. And even if it is not considered close to the White House candidate Kamala Harris, “Republicans can say: look, it’s the largest city in the United States, it’s run by Democrats, and there’s a reason in believing that corruption is widespread there,” he said. This retired professor at Baruch University in New York.

Illegal Donations. Eric Adams is the target of an investigation into the financing of his 2021 campaign. In November 2023, the federal police (FBI) seized cell phones and electronic devices from the mayor and searched the home of a fundraising manager for his campaign. The investigation is related to allegations of illegal donations to the Democratic campaign by Ankara-linked construction companies. Suspicion is particularly focused on the authorization Turkey received to build a large skyscraper opposite the UN headquarters in Manhattan, which houses the country’s mission to the United Nations and its consulate general.

The announcement of the accusation comes after several people close to the mayor resigned a few days ago, including his health commissioner, and the Chancellor of Education, very close to the senior -factor. The police chief, Edward Caban, was also targeted by the investigation, having resigned earlier in September, just a year after arriving at the head of the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the 36,000- his center.

Call for resignation. On Wednesday, even before the mayor’s lawsuit was announced, New York’s elected representative to the House of Representatives and leftist figure Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had called on Eric Adams to resign, “for the good of town”. Those calls intensified in the evening from several other elected Democrats.

Eric Adams won the 2021 Democratic primary on a promise to reduce the a crimewhich had skyrocketed in New York during the Covid pandemic. He was able to credit a decrease in violent crime, but New Yorkers also have to deal with the increase in crime. cost of living and a housing crisis that has pushed rents to unprecedented levels. At the end of 2023, the mayor’s popularity had fallen to the lowest level, to 28% in a poll. In this context, several competitors have announced themselves as candidates for the party’s primary in 2025.

Andrea BAMBINO

© Agence France-Presse