President-elect Donald Trump says he would consider a pardon for NYC Mayor Eric Adams
![Mayor Eric Adams' reelection campaign was denied public matching funds on Monday.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AOGJkN2QxYmMtYzk0Ni00%3AMGEyNGY3MzAtOGMyNC00%2Fnymigrants241213_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
Mayor Eric Adams' reelection campaign was denied public matching funds on Monday. Credit: Ed Quinn
President-elect Donald Trump said Monday that he’d consider pardoning Mayor Eric Adams because federal prosecutors have treated Adams "pretty unfairly," remarks that came hours after New York City’s Campaign Finance Board denied matching funds to Adams’ reelection bid, citing allegations of lawbreaking and other misconduct.
At a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump was asked whether he'd pardon Adams, who has been indicted on corruption charges alleging he traded campaign contributions and municipal favors for luxury travel funded by foreign governments.
"Yeah, I would. I think that he was treated pretty unfairly," Trump said. "Now, I haven’t seen the gravity of it all, but it seems, you know, like being upgraded in an airplane many years ago? I know probably everybody here has been upgraded. They see you’re all stars."
Trump added: "It’s very interesting when he essentially went against what was happening with the migrants coming in and, you know, he made some pretty strong statements like, this is not sustainable. I said, you know what, he’ll be indicted soon, and I said it not as a prediction, a little bit lightheartedly, but I said it, I said he’s gonna be indicted, and a few months later he got indicted."
The federal investigation into Adams began in 2021, before the migrant crisis took hold in the city. Both men have suggested that Adams was indicted because he criticized the Biden administration over an influx of more than 220,000 foreign migrants to the city.
Adams allegedly got free or highly discounted travel including deluxe suites in foreign hotels, upgrades to the highest class of airplane seats, expensive meals, and more.
Adams, who has praised Trump and tempered criticism in recent months, has not ruled out seeking a pardon.
Hours earlier, Adams’ campaign was denied what could have been millions of dollars in public funds.
The decision, a blow to the mayor's bid for a second term in office, came Monday morning at a Campaign Finance Board meeting.
"After thoroughly reviewing all available information, including the details of the indictment of Mayor Adams, the Board has determined there is reason to believe the Adams campaign has engaged in conduct detrimental to the matching funds program, in violation of law, including the Campaign Finance Act and Board Rules," Frederick Schaffer, the Campaign Finance Board chairman, said in a statement. "His campaign also failed to provide documents and information requested by the Board. Accordingly, Mayor Adams’ campaign for reelection has failed to demonstrate eligibility for public funds payment at this time."
Speaking Monday afternoon at City Hall, Adams said he would work with the board to answer questions "so that we could continue to get the funding."
But, he said, "even without the funding, we have outraised substantially everyone else that's in the race."
Asked by a reporter whether the potential for a Trump pardon was divine intervention, Adams said: "God has navigated my life. I tell people, it's GPS, that's my God Positioning Satellite. I gotta do my job, and I have an attorney that is going to look at every avenue to ensure I get justice."
Under the matching funds program, which is meant to encourage candidates to fundraise from everyday New Yorkers rather than powerful interests, a city resident’s eligible donation of up to $250 is matched with $2,000 in public funds.
Adams faces criminal allegations including that he raised money from ineligible donors, such as foreigners, for his 2021 mayoral campaign, thereby earning undue matching funds.
One of Adams’ declared rivals, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, on Monday was awarded $2 million in matching funds.
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