Eric Adams has found an unlikely supporter in his predecessor, Bill de Blasio, who defended the embattled mayor by suggesting the federal bribery and corruption charges he’s facing are weak.
“I don’t personally find the charges to be that powerful based on what I’ve seen,” de Blasio said at an event Thursday night. “They seem a little diffuse to me.”
De Blasio spoke up as Adams’ pals have departed City Hall one by one, with several top administration officials and aides resigning following weeks of police raids and phone seizures amid a sweeping federal corruption probe.
The former mayor — who was once also subject to a federal investigation — said he had “real questions” about what is happening within the current administration, while cautioning against a rush to judgment.
“Innocent until proven guilty is a real thing,” de Blasio said Thursday night during a conversation with Betsy Fischer Martin, executive director of American University’s Women & Politics Institute.
He called the charges “surprising” and accused to Southern District of New York of “leaking” information to build their case against Adams, who was indicted last month for allegedly defrauding taxpayers out of $10 million in matching campaign funds and taking $123,000 in bribes in the form of travel perks from Turkey.
He said he’s not convinced that prosecutors have a particularly strong case against Hizzoner, who is the first sitting New York City mayor to be indicted.
“With that said, there’s a giant problem in New York right now because people feel let down, they feel confused, they don’t know what’s happening with their government,” he added.
Adams is “not going anywhere soon,” de Blasio said, echoing Hizzoner’s vow to fight the charges without resigning,
In the meantime, he said Adams could restore New Yorkers’ confidence in City Hall by bringing in a “very professional and respectful group of people” to replace those who have resigned — noting he had “some real issues with some of those folks.”
He also urged Adams to “stop sounding like a victim” and focus on keeping the promises he made to his constituents.
De Blasio, who served as the 109th mayor from 2014 to 2021, dodged federal and state charges in 2017 stemming from campaign fundraising practices.
The outgoing mayor endorsed Adams’ campaign in 2021.
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