Questions and answers about Mayor Eric Adams' Turkish donations controversy

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and his political orbit are reportedly being scrutinized by the U.S. Department of Justice over whether his 2021 mayoral campaign conspired to get illegal campaign donations from people connected to Turkey and the Turkish government. Here are some questions and answers about the controversy.

What is the investigation about?

Leaked details to the press say one of the focuses includes whether Adams pressured New York City officials, including the then-FDNY commissioner, to approve the newly built Turkish consulate building in Manhattan despite safety concerns, in time for a visit by the Turkish president. Investigators are also reportedly looking at a construction company in Brooklyn that’s owned by Turkish immigrants who also helped fundraise for Adams, and a Turkish airline executive. According to a story in The New York Times, at issue are thousands of dollars in donations from those connected to KSK Construction, which is owned by Turkish immigrants, and Bay Atlantic University in Washington, D.C., which was founded by a Turkish philanthropist.

What does Eric Adams say?

The mayor acknowledges he helped get the building open by calling the then-FDNY commissioner, Dan Nigro — but Adams says what he did was simply routine political practice and nothing nefarious.

On Tuesday, at a briefing that included his chief counsel, Adams said: “This is what elected officials do, when a constituency reaches out to us for assistant  to another agency, we reach out to the agency. I don't think there’s an elected official in the city, like many of them reached out to me and said, ‘Eric, this is what we do every day,’ you know, you reach out to an agency and ask them to look into a matter. You don’t reach out to an agency to compel them to do anything, cause I had no authority to do so, I was the borough president.”

Adams said he didn’t know at the time that the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had been planning to visit.

What role do matching funds play in the scandal?

New York City has an unusual — and generous — matching-funds program under which donations from individuals can be worth way more. So, a $10 contribution from a city resident to a candidate who participates in the program would be worth $90 to the campaign, with the balance coming from the public. But there are limits to what a donor can contribute regardless, and laws restrict who can give. The maximum is $4,950 and are lower for those doing business with the city, to discourage pay-to-play.  Adams says he did nothing wrong.

“We don’t do the straw donors, we don’t do, you know, quid pro quo. We follow the law,” he said Tuesday.

Has Adams been accused of wrongdoing?

No, and his counsel, Lisa Zornberg, said Tuesday that she isn’t aware that he is a target.

How did the FBI confront Adams last week?

Agents approached Adams after an event at New York University, asked his NYPD bodyguards to stand back, and served Adams with a warrant for his electronic devices, including his iPhones and an iPad, which were seized and later returned. He later contacted the FBI to say he had more devices to turn over that he had found. In a statement released by Adams’ lawyer after the seizure, the lawyer said that one person had been found to have done something wrong, but no details were released, and on Tuesday, neither Adams nor his chief counsel would identify the person or explain the wrongdoing.

What are Adams' connections to Turkey?

He met with Turkey's president, Erdogan, when Adams was Brooklyn's borough president, and has visited the country six or more times. Adams says that Brooklyn has a big Turkish population and he was advocating on their behalf.

When did the controversy come to light?

Earlier this month, the FBI raided the Brooklyn house of Adams’ chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs. She was also reportedly interviewed by investigators. CNN reported this week that the raid of Suggs’ home occurred at the same time about 100 agents executed coordinated searches in the case.

By Matthew Chayes

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Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.