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Eric Adams

NYC mayor builds hefty legal war chest to battle FBI

investigation
New York City Mayor Eric Adams' legal defense trust exceeds $650,000 in donations, reports say
By Danielle Wallace Fox News

Published January 15, 2024 3:01pm EST

Mayor Eric Adams insists NYC migrant crisis has nothing to do with sanctuary city status
Mayor Eric Adams rejected a critique from Republican Nikki Haley about why his city is suffering from overwhelming numbers of migrants.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has built a hefty war chest over the past two months
amid reports he's at the center of an ongoing FBI investigation.

Adams, who's clashed with the White House on President Biden's immigration policies, as
New York City grapples with the influx of more than 168,000 migrants from the southern
border, has so far not been publicly accused of any wrongdoing as the FBI continues its
investigation into alleged corruption at City Hall to benefit the Turkish government.

In a statement obtained by N.Y. Daily News and Spectrum News NY 1, Vito Pitta, Adams’
longtime campaign compliance attorney, confirmed on Monday that, "The Eric Adams
Legal Defense Trust has drawn strong support in a short amount of time, raising more
than $650,000 since it was formed just two months ago."

The trust’s first disclosure is expected to be filed on Tuesday with more details.

ADAMS' OFFICE LASHES OUT AT FBI EMPLOYEE WHO MIGHT HAVE 'IMPROPERLY
LEAKED DETAILS' OF NYC CORRUPTION PROBE

Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a media availability at City Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Manhattan. (Barry Williams
for New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

According to city rules, the legal defense trust can accept donations of just up to $5,000
per person and Adams is not allowed to receive contributions from city employees or
those in city business. Donors are required to affirm that their contributions won’t impact
"any future business dealings" with the city, Daily News reported.

The mayor started the legal defense trust in mid-November after the FBI searched the
home of Adams' chief campaign fundraiser, 25-year-old Brianna Suggs. Federal agents
seized two laptop computers, three iPhones and a manila folder labeled "Eric Adams,"
according to the New York Times.

Mayor Eric Adams sits next to chief adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin at City Hall on Nov. 28, 2023. During the press conference,
Adams discussed recent FBI raids on people connected to his mayoral campaign. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via
Getty Images)

ERIC ADAMS LAUGHS OFF QUESTION ABOUT FBI SEIZURES: 'WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
HELICOPTERS'

The FBI raid prompted Adams to suddenly return from Washington, D.C., ahead of planned
visits at the White House and Congress about the migrant crisis' impact on the Big Apple.

The bureau is probing whether Adams' 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish
government and others to funnel money into its coffers. FBI agents also approached
Adams directly after a Manhattan event later that month, seizing the mayor's electronic
devices, including at least two cellphones and an iPad, in carrying out a search warrant,
the Times reported.

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The FBI also searched the homes of Rana Abbasova, an aide to Adams at City Hall, and New England
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Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Story tips A look back at Iowa
can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on Twitter: @danimwallace. caucus nights from
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