Today's recap
Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Joe Biden at the White House, and with Kamala Harris. The Ukrainian leader is also expected to meet with Donald Trump tomorrow – amid an escalating feud between the two. Trump has suggested that Ukraine should have made concessions to Russia before it invaded, and accused Zelenskyy of making “aspersions” toward him.
Here’s what else is going on:
As part of the US’s “surge” in security assistance to Ukraine, Biden has directed the defense department to allocate all of its remaining security assistance funding that has been appropriated for Ukraine by the end of his term.
Biden and Harris introduced a new executive order to tackle gun violence, creating a task force to investigate the threats of machine-gun conversion devices and 3D-printed guns, and instructing the federal government to create guidelines on school active shooter drills, which can be traumatizing to students.
New York City mayor Eric Adams was charged in a 57-page federal indictment with crimes relating to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery and receiving campaign contributions by foreign nationals, wire fraud, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national and bribery. He has maintained his innocence.
Federal prosecutors called Adams’s alleged misconduct a grave breach of public trust. The US attorney for the southern district of New York, Damian Williams , strongly criticized the mayor at a press conference. Charges against Adams also include acceptance of illegal foreign campaign contributions including from Turkish government officials. Williams said the mayor “kept the public in the dark”.
The voting machine company Smartmatic and the conservative outlet Newsmax have settled a closely watched defamation lawsuit days before it was scheduled to go to trial in Delaware.
In a characteristically rambling news conference, Trump ripped into Harris for planning a visit to the US border – and unleashed a slew of fiction and fear-mongering about the border and immigrants.
Updated
Meanwhile, back at the White House, Joe Biden outlined the grave necessity of programs to address gun violence.
His new executive order entails:
The creation of federal taskforce to evaluate the threats posed by machine gun conversion devices, which can alter handguns or other semi-automatic firearms to match the rate of fire of military machine guns. The taskforce will also investigate further the threats posed by 3D-printed firearms that are impossible to trace.
Orders to develop new guidelines for schools, colleges and universities on how to conduct active shooter drills. Most schools conduct these drills, but evidence suggests they can be traumatic to students.
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US and European officials have noted with varying levels of alarm the potential for a Trump administration to sharply reduce US aid to Ukraine in order to force Zelenskyy to accept terms for a ceasefire.
Asked if the Democrats wanted to “Trump-proof” aid to Ukraine before a potential Trump presidency, a senior state department official said: “I don’t ever talk in those terms” but that the primary goal was to make sure Ukraine “has all the equipment it needs to keep fighting and manpower and other things”.
“At the end of the year, regardless of who wins our election in December, as at the end of this fighting season, Zelenskyy and Putin need to look at the battlefield and say, here’s what we think next year will look like,” the official said.
“And the primary factor there is, do I think the other side has all the equipment it needs to keep fighting and manpower and other things?”
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On Wednesday, the House speaker, Mike Johnson, a Republican, accused Zelenskyy of election interference and demanded he fire his ambassador to Washington DC over a visit to an ammunitions factory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Johnson claimed the Ukrainian ambassador had failed to invite any Republicans to the event and called it a “partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats”.
Zelenskyy sought to reduce tensions on Thursday as he thanked the US for the new arms package and praised political leaders’ “strong bipartisan support” in “Ukraine’s just cause of defeating Russian aggression”.
“I am grateful to Joe Biden, [the] US Congress and both parties, Republicans and Democrats, as well as the entire American people for today’s announcement of major US defence assistance for Ukraine, totalling $7.9bn and sanctions against Russia,” Zelenskyy wrote.
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Trump to meet with Ukrainian president
Donald Trump said he would meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday morning at Trump Tower.
Yesterday, the former president attacked Zlenskyy directly and accused him of “refusing” to negotiate a peace deal with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. “The president of Ukraine is in our country. He is making little nasty aspersions toward your favourite president, me,” Trump said. “We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal: Zelenskyy.”
A fued between Trump and Zelenskyy has escalated in recent days, as my colleague Andrew Roth reports:
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The joint appearance of Biden and Harris today highlights Harris’s role overseeing the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
“Over the years, I’ve held the hands of far too many mothers and fathers to try and comfort them after their child was killed by gun violence. And let us all agree, it does not have to be this way,” Harris said. “We know how to stop these tragedies, and it is a false choice to suggest you are either in favor of the second amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away.”
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The president today is marking the roll-out of an executive order that includes several gun-related measures, including the creation of a task force to assess the threat of machine gun conversion devices.
NEW: President Biden is signing an Executive Order today to reduce gun violence and save lives. pic.twitter.com/TPEVvU8VkG
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 26, 2024
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Joe Biden took the podium to chants of “Thank you Joe.”
The audience at the White House is full of survivors and the families of those killed by gun violence. Biden was also introduced by Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin, whose city was rocked by gun violence on Saturday in the Five Points entertainment district. Four people were killed and 17 injured.
“I know the scream of a mother when her child is killed. I know that because I heard it from the voice of my own mother when my brother was killed by gun violence,” Woodfin said. “I heard that scream again this past Saturday.”
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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris deliver remarks on addressing gun violence
The president and vice-president are speaking from the White House, and were introduced by a student who was 15 when a gunman opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school.
We’ll follow their remarks.
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In a characteristically rambling news conference, Donald Trump ripped into Kamala Harris for visiting the border – and unleashed a slew of fiction and fear-mongering about the border and immigrants.
Among his claims was that the CBP One app, which people arriving at the US southern border must use to schedule appointment for an asylum screening, was being used by “virtually unlimited numbers of illegals to press a button schedule their illegal immigration appointment at our ports of entry”.
Using the app to schedule an asylum screening, is, of course one way to legally immigrate to the US. Seeking asylum is legal.
Trump also repeated his fictitious claim about migrants contributing to increased crime, and that crime overall was “up” – dividing ABC’s presidential debate moderators for fact-checking his claims.
Here’s my colleague Edward Helmore with more on the actual stats:
Murder dropped by more than 11% from 2022 to 2023, the largest single-year decline in two decades, according to FBI data released on Monday.
Meanwhile, the broader category of violent crime nationwide decreased about 3%, said the data, which is audited and confirms earlier reporting from unaudited statistics.
Monday’s release of audited data contradicts a talking point that Donald Trump has made on the campaign trail as the Republican presidential nominee seeks a return to the White House during the 5 November election: that crime has been rampant and out of control without him in power.
In its annual Crime in the Nation summary, the FBI said rape decreased by an estimated 9.4%, property crime dropped 2.4% and burglary fell by an estimated 7.6%.
Some more background:
After the 2020 election, Newsmax aired several false claims about the company, whose voting machines were only used in Los Angeles county in 2020. The network repeatedly aired false claims from Trump allies that the software was widely used across the country and that it had been hacked to change votes.
Smartmatic sued Newsmax, Fox, One America News Network (OANN) and others for broadcasting their false claims. It settled the case with OANN earlier this year and the Fox case is still pending in New York.
Smartmatic said in a statement: “We are very pleased to have secured the completion of the case against Newsmax. We are now looking forward to our court day against Fox Corp and Fox News for their disinformation campaign. Lying to the American people has consequences. Smartmatic will not stop until the perpetrators are held accountable.”
First amendment scholars were closely watching the case and several others like it to see whether libel law can be used as an effective tool to police misinformation.
The case was set to be a kind of sequel to the defamation litigation between Dominion, another voting machine company, and Fox over 2020 election lies. That case settled just before the trial was set to begin, with Fox agreeing to pay Dominion $747.5m. Eric Davis, the judge who oversaw the Fox case, also was overseeing the Newsmax case.
Read the full story here:
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Newsmax settles with voting machine company
The voting machine company Smartmatic and the conservative outlet Newsmax have settled a closely watched defamation lawsuit days before it was scheduled to go to trial in Delaware.
A spokesperson for the Delaware courts said the case had settled on Thursday. He did not offer additional details.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kamala Harris made an appearance together after meeting.
Harris emphasized: “Nothing about the end of this war can be decided without Ukraine.”
She also referenced, without explicitly mentioning, Donald Trump, who has said that Ukraine should have made concessions to Russian president Vladimir Putin before Russia’s attack:
“There are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory,” she said. “These proposals are the same as those of Putin. Let us be be clear. They are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender.”
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Today so far
Here’s a look at where things stand:
New York City mayor Eric Adams was charged in a 57-page federal indictment with crimes relating to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery and receiving campaign contributions by foreign nationals, wire fraud, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national and bribery. He has maintained his innocence.
Federal prosecutors called Adams’s alleged misconduct a grave breach of public trust. The US attorney for the southern district of New York Damian Williams strongly criticized the mayor at a press conference a little earlier.
Williams vowed to continue to investigate the mayor’s case and to “hold more people accountable”. Charges against Adams include bribery, wire fraud and acceptance of illegal foreign campaign contributions including from Turkish government officials. Williams said the mayor “kept the public in the dark”.
The indictment against Adams includes many luxury trips that were not put in annual disclosure forms, prosecutors say. Trips cost many thousands of dollars and included visiting Turkey and flying via Turkey while visiting countries such as China, India, France, Hungary and Ghana.
Federal agents raided Adams’s official residence, Gracie Mansion, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the early hours today, as reports emerged of the mayor being hit with a federal indictment. The raid reportedly included a group of nearly a dozen people in suits entering the property, with several carrying briefcases, backpacks or duffel bags.
Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are meeting at the White House as the Ukrainian president attempts to shore up support for his country’s war aims in its fight against Russia. Before the meeting, Zelenskyy thanked the US president for his support, saying: “Your determination is incredibly important for us to prevail … We must restore normal life, and we greatly value your leadership.”
Before their meeting, Biden released a statement, saying: “I am proud to welcome President Zelenskyy back to the White House today.” As part of the US’s “surge” in security assistance to Ukraine, Biden has directed the defense department to allocate all of its remaining security assistance funding that has been appropriated for Ukraine by the end of his term.
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In a post on Twitter/X, Volodymyr Zelenskyy detailed his meeting with the House of Representatives on Thursday during which he presented his victory plan.
The Ukrainian president wrote: “We are at a critical juncture in this war. We need really strong pressure and strong positions for Ukraine,” adding: “We also discussed the situation on the battlefield, the protection of our energy grid, and the preparation of our country for the winter ahead.”
I had a meeting with a bipartisan delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives, during which I presented the key points of the Victory Plan, which can strengthen us on the path to peace.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 26, 2024
We are at a critical juncture in this war. We need really strong pressure and strong… pic.twitter.com/dBzMBRolNj
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Zelenskyy says he and Biden will discuss how to 'strengthen' victory plan in Oval Office meeting
Here is Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement in the Oval Office before his closed-doors meeting with Joe Biden:
Mr. President, thank you for your strong support for the decision [to help] us protect Ukraine. Ukraine is our home. We deeply appreciate that Ukraine and America have stood side by side from the very first moment ...
Your determination is incredibly important for us to prevail … We must restore normal life, and we greatly value your leadership. .. We also have 26 bilateral security agreements with partners based on the G7 security declaration. We have a strong security agreement with United States, and we are grateful for it and we will fully implement it.
And it’s very important that we share the same vision for Ukraine’s security future in the EU and NATO, and Ukraine is doing an unprecedented number of reforms on this path. Today we have a new support package … This will be a great help.
I raised with president Biden the plan of victory today. We are preparing to discuss the details to strengthen the plan, coordinate our positions… Thank you for that unwavering bipartisan support and to all American people. Together, we have to win, we will win.
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Here are some images coming through the newswires of Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting in the White House:
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Biden says 'Russia will not prevail in war'
Joe Biden thanked Volodymyr Zelenskyy for sharing his plan for victory, according to pool reports.
In addition to talking about military funding and Ukraine’s long-term security, Biden said: “We stand with Ukraine now and in the future … Let me be clear. Russia will not prevail in war.”
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Zelenskyy arrives at White House
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived at the White House, according to pool reports.
The upcoming meeting between Zelenskyy and Joe Biden will mark the 11th meeting between the two leaders and Zelenskyy’s fifth visit to Washington since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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Biden and Zelenskyy to meet at White House
Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are set to meet shortly at the White House as the Ukrainian president attempts to shore up support for his country’s war aims in its fight against Russia.
Ahead of the upcoming meeting, Biden released a statement, saying:
I am proud to welcome president Zelenskyy back to the White House today. For nearly three years, the United States has rallied the world to stand with the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom from Russian aggression, and it has been a top priority of my Administration to provide Ukraine with the support it needs to prevail.
As part of the US’s “surge” in security assistance to Ukraine, Biden has directed the defense department to allocate all of its remaining security assistance funding that has been appropriated for Ukraine by the end of his term. He has also decided to provide Ukraine with the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) long-range munition, as well as directed the defense department to refurbish and provide Ukraine with an additional Patriot air defense battery and to provide Ukraine with additional Patriot missiles.
Biden has also directed the defense department to expand training for Ukrainian F16 pilots, including by supporting the training of an additional 18 pilots next year.
Updated
Ahead of the bilateral meeting shortly at the White House between Joe Biden and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the US president earlier today announced a “surge” in assistance to Ukraine’s resistance of Russia’s invasion of its territory, amounting to nearly $8bn in additional military aid.
It includes new long-range munitions. It’s still unclear how Biden is going to respond to Zelenskyy presenting what he has called a “victory plan” over Russia’s aggression, which would include use of US missiles to strike far within Russia.
Today, I am announcing a surge in security assistance for Ukraine and a series of additional actions to help Ukraine win this war,” Biden said in a statement, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP) earlier.
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The White House is not inclined to comment on the federal indictment of Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was just asked at the media briefing in the West Wing if Joe Biden has any comment on the mayor being charged and whether the US president thinks Adams should resign.
“I’m not going to comment on this ongoing matter, I will leave that to the Department of Justice,” Jean-Pierre said.
She was then asked for any response to Adams saying he was being targeted by the Biden administration for negative remarks he has made about insufficient federal support for the city in its handling of an increase in migrants arriving in the last 18 months, having been tactically bussed to New York by Republican leaders from states sharing the US-Mexico border, especially Texas.
Jean-Pierre said: “We have been always very clear …the Department of Justice is independent.”
And in response to a question, she said that although Adams attended a reception held by Biden at the Metropolitan Museum in New York last night, the US president “did not see the mayor and they did not speak”.
Updated
Interim summary
Hello, US politics blog readers, it’s been a lively morning and there is a lot more news to come. We’ll bring it to you as it happens. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is invited to a bilateral meeting with Joe Biden at the White House, taking place shortly. Zelenskyy will make remarks with Kamala Harris mid-afternoon, the US vice president and Democratic party nominee for president in this November’s election. Then the two will hold a meeting. Biden and Harris will make remarks together in the Rose Garden on addressing gun violence in America. Right now, the White House press briefing with Karine Jean-Pierre is under way and has just finished addressing the impending arrival in Florida of Hurricane Helene.
Here’s where things stand:
Federal prosecutors call New York mayor Eric Adams’s alleged misconduct a grave breach of public trust. The US attorney for the southern district of New York Damian Williams strongly criticized the mayor at a press conference a little earlier.
Williams vowed to continue to investigate the mayor’s case and to “hold more people accountable”. Charges against Adams include bribery, wire fraud and acceptance of illegal foreign campaign contributions including from Turkish government officials. Williams said the mayor “kept the public in the dark”.
Eric Adams’s alleged misconduct continued even after he was sworn into office, according to the indictment, which alleges that a Turkish official “repeatedly” asked Adams not to make any statements about the Armenian genocide during Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in 2022, to which request Adams acquiesced.
The indictment against Mayor Adams includes many luxury trips that were not put in annual disclosure forms, prosecutors say. Trips cost many thousands of dollars and included visiting Turkey and flying via Turkey while visiting countries such as China, India, France, Hungary and Ghana.
Eric Adams was charged in a 57-page federal indictment with crimes relating to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery and receiving campaign contributions by foreign nationals, wire fraud, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national and bribery.
Federal agents raided Adams’s official residence, Gracie Mansion, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the early hours today, as reports emerged of the mayor being hit with a federal indictment. The raid reportedly included a group of nearly a dozen men and women in suits entering the property, with several carrying briefcases, backpacks or duffel bags.
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In a statement released on Thursday, Hakeem Jeffries, minority leader of the House of Representatives, said of Eric Adams’s indictment:
The indictment of a sitting mayor is a serious and sober moment for New York City. Like every other New Yorker and American, Eric Adams is entitled to the presumption of innocence. That principle is central to the administration of justice in the United States of America.
A jury of the mayor’s peers will now evaluate the charges in the indictment and ultimately render a determination. In the meantime, I pray for the well-being of our great city.
Updated
Federal prosecutors call Eric Adams's alleged misconduct a 'grave breach' of public trust as mayor remains defiant
Following the unsealing of a 57-page indictment against Eric Adams, Southern District Court of New York attorney Damian Williams delivered a news conference in which he called Adams’ alleged misconduct a “grave breach of the public’s trust”.
Detailing the charges against Adams which include bribery, wire fraud and acceptance of illegal foreign campaign contributions including from Turkish government officials, Williams said:
“Year after year after year, he kept the public in the dark.”
Outlining various undisclosed luxury travel and stays taken by Adams over the years, including suites at five-star hotels in Turkey, Williams said:
“We allege that mayor Adams abused that privilege and broke the laws that are designed to ensure that officials like him serve the people, not the highest bidder, not a foreign bidder, and certainly not a foreign power. These are bright red lines, and we allege that the mayor crossed them again and again for years.”
Meanwhile, at his own press conference following an overnight raid at his Gracie Mansion residence, Adams remained defiant, saying:
“It’s an unfortunate day. And it’s a painful day … But inside all of that is a day when we will finally reveal why, for 10 months, I’ve gone through this. And I look forward to defending myself.”
Maintaining his innocence, Adams added:
“Everyone who knows me knows that I follow campaign rules and I follow the law.”
Upon being asked by reporters whether he believed the case against him was politically motivated, Adams said people should question the federal officials.
Updated
Speaking at the press conference, New York City’s department of investigations commissioner Jocelyn Stauber said:
“Today for the first time in New York City’s modern history, we announced criminal charges against the sitting mayor of New York City. As our highest elected official, the mayor should set the standard for all of city government and exemplify the integrity, transparency and dedication to serving the public that all New Yorkers deserve.
Instead, the indictment unsealed today alleges that mayor Adams abused his power and position for nearly a decade as Brooklyn borough president and as mayor to enrich himself and his mayoral campaigns as charged …
We handled this investigation as we would any other, following the facts and seeking to hold wrongdoers accountable no matter their role or title. Our unique access to city records and expertise in matters of city government make us a critical partner in the fight to root out corruption.”
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SDNY attorney general: Adams 'abused' privilege of public office to serve 'highest' bidder
Damian Williams called Eric Adams’s alleged misconduct a “grave breach of the public’s trust” and vowed to continue to investigation to “hold more people accountable”.
He said:
“I want to make three things crystal clear. First, the conduct alleged in the indictment, the foreign money, the corporate money, the bribery, the years of concealment, is a grave breach of the public’s trust. Public office is a privilege. We allege that Mayor Adams abused that privilege and broke the laws that are designed to ensure that officials like him serve the people, not the highest bidder, not a foreign bidder, and certainly not a foreign power. These are bright red lines, and we allege that the mayor crossed them again and again for years. That is the only reason we are here today.
Second, this investigation continues, we continue to dig and we will hold more people accountable. And I encourage anyone with information to come forward and to do so before it is too late.
And third, the Southern District of New York remains committed to rooting out corruption without fear or favor and without regard to partisan politics. We are not focused on the right or the left, we are focused only on right and wrong. That is our duty and we will fulfill it now.”
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“In 2021 the Turkish government official was trying to open a brand new high-rise building in Manhattan that would house Turkey’s consulate,” said Damian Williams.
He added:
“There was significant time pressure, because the Turkish official desperately needed the building to be open in time for a visit from Turkey’s president. This building was important to the Turkish official, and it was important to Turkey, but the FDNY, as fire safety professionals, wouldn’t let the building open because the building hadn’t passed an inspection, and not just that. Some of the people of FDNY thought the building had so many issues and defects that the building was not safe to occupy. So the Turkish official sent word to Adams that it was ‘his turn’ to support Turkey.
And as we allege, Adams delivered and pressured the fire department to let the building open. The FDNY professionals were convinced that they would lose their jobs if they didn’t back down, and so they did. They got out of the way and let the building open. the Turkish official got what he wanted. And as we explain in the indictment, just four days after Adams held up his end of the bargain he went right back to soliciting more travel benefits from the Turkish airline.”
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“In exchange for some of those improper benefits, [Eric Adams] intervened in the New York City fire department’s inspection process for a building owned and operated by the Turkish government, allowing it to open even though it had not passed the fire inspection,” said Damian Williams.
He added:
“The corruption alleged in the indictment is, as I said, long running, as we allege in the indictment, Adams’ solicitation of illegal campaign contributions began in 2018 after he started raising funds for his 2021 mayoral campaign, he agreed to take contributions offered by multiple Turkish businessmen, several of whom he met in Turkey.
Adams knew that these wealthy individuals could not legally donate in a US election. Federal law clearly prohibits foreign donations. That’s how we protect our elections from foreign influence.
Adams directed his staff to pursue this illegal money to support his campaign for mayor, and as we allege, Adams continued to pursue foreign money in secret well into 2021 and it didn’t stop with his first campaign for mayor. As we allege, in 2023, the mayor rekindled these corrupt relationships, seeking more illegal campaign contributions from some of the same foreign sources to support his reelection campaign.”
SDNY attorney general: 'Year after year after year, he kept the public in the dark'
Southern District Court of New York attorney Damian Williams is now speaking.
“Mayor Adams took these contributions, even though he knew they were illegal, and even though he knew these contributions were attempts by a Turkish government official and Turkish businessman to buy influence with him …
The mayor had a duty to disclose these gifts on his annual public disclosure forms so that the public could see who was giving him. But as we allege, year after year after year, he kept the public in the dark.
He told the public he received no gifts, even though he was secretly being showered with them. We allege that Adams accepted these benefits knowing that they were given to him because of his position.”
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“My legal team is going to peruse the entire indictment,” said Eric Adams in a public address following the unsealing of the federal indictment against him.
“Based on what I read, it’s clear that if it’s campaign violations, I know I don’t violate the campaigns, right? If it’s foreign donors, I know I don’t take money from foreign donors.
I verbalized that to the team, both in writing and both in communication, and we will continue to do that, and we look forward to the legal team to handle this as I handle the city of New York and continue the success that we witnessed in the last two years and nine months … in New York.”
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Eric Adams asked by Turkish official to not make statements about Armenian genocide – indictment
Eric Adams’s alleged misconduct continued even after he was sworn into office, according to the indictment, which alleges that a Turkish official “repeatedly” asked Adams not to make any statements about the Armenian genocide during Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in 2022.
The indictment states:
On April 21, 2022, the Turkish official messaged the Adams staffer, noting that Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day was approaching, and repeatedly asked the Adams staffer for assurances that Adams would not make any statement about the Armenian genocide.
The Adams staffer confirmed that Adams would not make a statement about the Armenian genocide. Adams did not make such a statement.
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List of New York mayor's undisclosed trips, according to indictment
Here are some of the luxury trips Eric Adams took in recent years that were not disclosed in annual disclosure forms, according to the indictment:
2016: A $12,000+ value round trip between New York and India via Turkey that included a free upgrade to business class for two.
2017: A $41,000+ value trip involving free business class tickets for three on roundtrips from New York to France, Turkey and China, as well as a “heavily discounted” stay in the Bentley suite of St Regis Istanbul.
2017: A $16,000+ value trip involving free business class tickets for two on roundtrips between New York and China via Turkey.
2018: A $12,000+ value trip involving free upgrade to business class for two on roundtrips between New York and Hungary via Turkey.
2019: A $9,000+ trip involving a free upgrade to business class for one flight from New York to Turkey, free stay at the Cosmopolitan suite of St Regis Istanbul, free meals, transportation and entertainment in Istanbul.
2021: A $21,000+ value trip involving a free upgrade to business class for two on a roundtrip from New York to Turkey, free or “steeply discounted” luxury hotel and resort stays, transportation, entertainment and meals.
2021: A $12,000+ value trip between New York and Ghana via Turkey that included a free upgrade to business class for two, free meal and transportation during an Istanbul layover.
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US district court in New York to hold press conference at 11:30am ET on 'significant public corruption charges'
The US district court for the southern district of New York is set to hold a press conference at 11.30am ET on “significant public corruption charges”.
The press conference, which will be lead by SDNY attorney general Damian Williams, will follow the unveiling of a 57-page federal indictment against Eric Adams that includes counts of wire fraud, bribery and acceptance of illegal campaign contributions.
Adams has remained defiant and vowed to not resign, saying that he is innocent and “lead I will”.
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Here is more from the federal indictment against Eric Adams:
In 2014, Eric Adams, the defendant, became Brooklyn borough president. Thereafter, for nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish govermnent official seeking to gain influence over him.
By 2018, Adams – who had by then made known his plans to run for mayor of New York City – not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals.
As Adams’s prominence and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their c01rnpt relationships with him, particularly when, in 2021, it became clear that Adams would become New York City’s mayor. Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received.
After his inauguration as Mayor of New York City, Adams soon began preparing for his next election, including by planning to solicit more illegal contributions and granting requests from those who supported his 2021 mayoral campaign with such donations.
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Eric Adams charged with wire fraud, bribery among other counts
The US district court for the southern district of New York has announced the federal indictment against Eric Adams.
Adams has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals, wire fraud, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national, as well as bribery.
In the 57-page indictment, prosecutors said:
Eric Adams, the defendant, sought and accepted illegal campaign contributions in the form of ‘nominee’ or ‘straw’ contributions, meaning that the true contributors conveyed their money through nominal donors, who falsely certified they were contributing their own money.
By smuggling their contributions to Adams through US-based straw donors, Adams’ overseas contributors defeated federal laws that serve to prevent foreign influence on US elections.
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The US district court of the southern district of New York has issued a press guidance for its 11.30am press conference, according to reports.
The guidance said the presser concerns “significant public corruption charges,” according to New York Daily News’s Molly Crane-Newman.
SDNY has sent out guidance for an 11:30 AM presser concerning “significant public corruption charges.” US Attorney Damian Williams will not take questions. I’m in line. pic.twitter.com/T1L09eJuin
— Molly Crane-Newman (@molcranenewman) September 26, 2024
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Federal prosecutors are set to announce charges against Eric Adams at 11.30am ET, according to reports.
The expected announcement comes after the mayor’s Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side was raided overnight with federal agents taking away his phone, among other possessions.
Prosecutors will detail charges against @NYCMayor at 11:30 am. @curtmenefee @rosannascotto
— Robert Moses (@RobertMosesFox5) September 26, 2024
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Here are some images coming through the news wires of the overnight raid on Eric Adams’s Gracie Mansion in New York City:
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Here is video of Eric Adams’s defiant message to New Yorkers last night following reports of a federal indictment against him:
.@NYCMayor addresses New Yorkers pic.twitter.com/qEgeiNH5Fj
— Courtney Gross (@courtneycgross) September 26, 2024
In the two-minute video, Adams refused to resign, saying:
Now, if I am charged, many may say I should resign because I cannot manage the city while fighting the case. I can also understand how everyday New Yorkers would be concerned that I cannot do my job while I face accusations.
But I have been facing these lies for months, since I began to speak out for all of you and their investigation started – yet the city has continued to improve.
Make no mistake: you elected me to lead this city – and lead it I will.”
Updated
In response to a question on his thoughts regarding Eric Adams’s reported indictment, Senate majority leader and longtime New Yorker Chuck Schumer said:
I’m talking to my doctor,” NBC’s Frank Thorp V reports.
Approached Leader Schumer, asked if he had any reaction to the indictment of Eric Adams, he pulled out his phone, put it to his ear and said, “I’m talking to my doctor.”
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 26, 2024
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In a show of solidarity with the mayor, the Brooklyn’s Democratic party’s chair, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, has released the following statement in response to Eric Adams’s reported indictment:
Our laws mandate due process. An indictment is not a conviction. Every American, every New Yorker, is innocent unless proven otherwise …
Eric Adams has dedicated his life to this city … Fairness demands simply that Mayor Adams is given what each of us would want: a presumption of innocence.
Statement on Mayor Eric Adams’ Indictment—from Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn: pic.twitter.com/X50HeTaXs6
— Kings County Democratic County Committee (@bkdems) September 26, 2024
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A reported prisoner transport vehicle left Gracie Mansion a short while ago, according to Fox5’s Robert Moses.
The black Chevy SUV you see in this video is a prisoner transport vehicle. It has a cage separating the front and back seats. We couldn’t see anyone inside but it just left Gracie Mansion. @fox5ny @curtmenefee @rosannascotto @morganfmckay pic.twitter.com/SiuSFxamvc
— Robert Moses (@RobertMosesFox5) September 26, 2024
New York City mayor's residence raided in early morning after reports of federal indictment
Good morning,
Federal agents raided New York City mayor Eric Adams’s Gracie Mansion residence on the Upper East Side in the early hours of Thursday after reports emerged of the mayor being hit with a federal indictment.
The raid included a group of nearly a dozen men and women in suits entering the property, with several carrying briefcases, backpacks or duffel bags, the New York Times reports.
In a statement following the raid, a lawyer for Adams said: “Federal agents appeared this morning at Gracie Mansion in an effort to create a spectacle (again) and take Mayor Adams phone (again) … He has not been arrested and looks forward to his day in court. They send a dozen agents to pick up a phone when we would have happily turned it in.”
Although the indictment remains sealed, reports are emerging that it includes allegations of foreign influence and corruption, particularly possible illegal campaign donations from the Turkish government.
Adams has maintained his innocence, saying in a video address late on Wednesday night: “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”
Here are other developments in US politics:
Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are set to meet at the White House today as Biden announced more than $8m in new military aid to Ukraine.
Donald Trump and state prosecutors will make an appearance in a New York appeals court today over his $454m civil fraud judgement.
The Senate has voted unanimously to hold the CEO of Steward Health Care, the bankrupt hospital chain, in criminal contempt for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena.
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