New York City Mayor Eric Adams is maintaining his innocence and saying he has no plans to resign after being indicted on federal charges of bribery conspiracy, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is the only person who has authority to remove Adams from office but she has not yet indicated whether she plans to exercise that power. If that is the case and Adams is replaced, then his role will be filled by New York Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
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Williams, a progressive Democrat, would then take over as acting mayor and would be responsible for setting a date for a special election — which wouldn't have primaries and candidates would appear on the ballot without a party affiliation next to their name.
Williams, a former city council member, made no mention of potentially being elevated to acting mayor, but he did react to the indictment on Thursday.
“It is federal officials’ obligation to prove their case, it is the mayor’s obligation to prove to New Yorkers that there is a real plan and path to govern the city effectively and regain trust, and his time to show that plan is rapidly running out," Williams said. "As the Public Advocate, my role is to fight for the transparency, accountability, and governance that New Yorkers deserve. In a moment of intense turmoil, I am committed to working with my fellow elected officials and the many thousands of incredibly dedicated public servants to ensure our city continues to operate in any eventuality.”
On Wednesday night before the indictment was unsealed, a defiant Adams rejected calls for his resignation, saying he still plans to seek re-election in 2025.
"From here, my attorneys will take care of the case, so I can take care of the city," Adams continued. "My day-to-day will not change. I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million New Yorkers that I was elected to do."
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In a press conference after the indictment was unsealed, Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, detailed some of the claims against the mayor.
He referenced visuals that showed benefits like international business class flights, luxury travel accommodations and other perks that Adams allegedly accepted and attempted to cover up as if he paid for them. The U.S. attorney added that the gifts exceeded $100,000 in value.
