| | | | |  | | By Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman | | Presented by |  | | | With Timmy Facciola
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U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York said Mayor Eric Adams was brazen about the alleged quid pro quo scheme that stretches back a decade. | Stephanie Keith/Getty Images | New York Minute: New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to be arraigned today in Manhattan on federal bribery and fraud charges. POLITICO will, of course, keep you updated on the latest developments. A DEFIANT DEFENDANT: Adams is set to answer in court today to federal prosecutors’ allegations that he accepted lavish travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish officials in exchange for smoothing the approvals process for their glistening, skyscraping new consulate in Manhattan. All signs point to a not guilty plea. “You can almost picture them trying to cobble this together and try to tell a story so that they could say, ‘Corruption, corruption, corruption,’” Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro told reporters Thursday outside Gracie Mansion. Spiro appeared to preview his defense strategy by proffering text messages he said revealed how scrupulous the mayor has been about ethics. “Please be aware we can’t take money from people who are not U.S. citizens,” Adams writes in the purported exchange to a top aide who was among those raided by the feds. But the 57-page indictment unsealed earlier Thursday — revealing five federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations against the 110th mayor of New York City — included what prosecutors say are text messages reflecting the opposite sentiment. “To be o[n the] safe side Please Delete all messages you send me,” the document alleges an Adams staffer texted him in 2019. “Always do,” the then-Brooklyn borough president allegedly responded. On Thursday, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York said Adams was brazen about the alleged quid pro quo scheme that stretches back a decade to his borough president days and led him to obtain more than $10 million in matching funds as a result of the illegal contributions. “These are bright red lines, and we allege the mayor crossed them again and again, for years,” Williams said. “That is the only reason we are here today.” Adams maintained his innocence. And he signaled no imminent plans to vacate the seat he has held for three years. “My day-to-day will not change,” the mayor said at Gracie Mansion, surrounded by Black clergy and community leaders for a raucous news conference. “I will continue to do the job that … I was elected to do.” His aides added that thousands of city workers and several deputy leaders will help him keep New York running. But Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statement late Thursday that read like a warning to her ally. “My focus is on protecting the people of New York and ensuring stability in the City. While I review my options and obligations as the Governor of New York, I expect the Mayor to take the next few days to review the situation and find an appropriate path forward to ensure the people of New York City are being well-served by their leaders,” she said. Several of Adams’ 2025 challengers are much more insistent that he cannot do his job and are loudly beating the drum for him to resign. — Emily Ngo IT’S FRIDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | A message from Alibaba: American businesses generate big global sales on Alibaba's online marketplace – to the tune of $66B in one year alone. These sales are having a bigger impact on communities back home. New York companies, both large and small, sell to over one billion consumers in China through Alibaba, supporting 18,400 local jobs and contributing $2.3B to the state’s economy. Learn more about how Alibaba positively impacts New York’s economy. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany and New York City for an EMILYs list conference. WHERE’S ERIC? Meeting with New York Public Schools Chancellor David Banks and staff at 8:30 AM and later hosting a media engagement with Giornale Italo-Americano. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I don’t know.” — President Joe Biden, asked at the White House if he believes Adams should resign. The place for weekly trivia, reader engagement when we have it…
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
Jay Jacobs has proved immune to his left critics once again. | Mike Groll/AP | | JAY WALKING: New York Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs isn’t going anywhere as the top official at the state committee. Jacobs was reelected Thursday by the state committee at its reorganizational meeting in Syracuse. Count it as a small, but still important victory for Hochul. Jacobs has been a key ally for her from the start of his tenure, including the initial weeks in which she succeeded former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and faced a short-lived primary challenge from Attorney General Letitia James. Jacobs, a moderate and the chair of the Nassau County Democrats has his critics within the state party. Left-leaning Democrats have tried, and so far failed, to oust him. Various efforts to pressure Hochul to replace him have also been resisted. And all this comes as the governor has made flipping House seats held by freshman Republican lawmakers a political imperative this year. The state Democratic Committee has been central to that effort with a coordinating campaign meant to aid House candidates with organizational muscle. “The New York State Democratic Committee is focused on our tremendous efforts to flip the House majority and elect Democrats down the ballot this November,” Hochul said in a statement. “I’m grateful for Jay Jacob’s dedication to the State Committee and for his commitment to ensuring Democrats win in every corner of our state.” — Nick Reisman
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Turmoil at City Hall following Mayor Eric Adams' indictment could threaten administration priorities. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images | HOW TO ‘GET STUFF DONE’: Mayor Adams was planning to spend Thursday touting the city’s progress getting housing built amid a shortage. Instead, he was playing defense against a criminal indictment. And while staffers said agency work is continuing apace, some said the turmoil surrounding Adams could mar administration priorities, like a high-profile zoning plan slated for a City Council vote this fall, POLITICO reports. Kathy Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, emphasized the importance of that kind of focus right now. “Clearly, the indictment has the potential to really damage morale, and I think our job as New Yorkers is to try and express our support and appreciation for people who are working hard and doing their jobs and are not involved in this case,” she said in an interview. Since federal agents raided the homes and seized the phones of five top Adams officials earlier this month, the head of the NYPD was forced out, the schools chancellor left and City Hall’s top attorney abruptly quit. Those departures came after Adams lost a political battle with the City Council to install his preferred lawyer to head the department that handles litigation against the city and its employees. That agency remains without a leader. “I think there’s definitely the concern, at what point do people truly just lose faith in this administration, and as a result, our work,” said one city official who was granted anonymity to speak freely about a sensitive matter. “If you’re a very public figure within this administration, you do have to think about your future and your reputation, and how long you can stay aligned even if you aren’t named in these indictments, or named in these raids.” — Janaki Chadha, Madina Touré and Maya Kaufma More from the city: — The city Department of Investigation searched a New York City Sheriff’s Office facility in Queens. (POLITICO) — The woman who accused Adams in a civil lawsuit of sexually assaulting her must be deposed on Oct. 16 — or her case will be dismissed. (Daily News) — Lawsuits to jumpstart congestion pricing begin court arguments today. (THE CITY)
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | | 
Adams’ six-year stint in Albany was marked by paper-thin majorities in the state Senate for Republicans and Democrats. | Hans Pennink/AP | A DIFFERENT TIME: Three citizens of Planet Albany in separate texts and emails on Thursday sent Playbook a link to this 2007 video of then-state Sen. Eric Adams in which he demanded a pay raise for himself and state lawmakers by repeating the “Jerry McGuire” movie line, “Show me the money!” One former legislative aide commented, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” The speech on the floor of the chamber caused a stir at the time but is a reminder of a very different time in Albany. Adams’ six-year stint in Albany was marked by paper-thin majorities in the state Senate for Republicans and Democrats. Later, an unusual power-sharing arrangement with a bloc of breakaway Democrats allowed Republicans to maintain the trappings of power. These arrangements heightened what was an already deeply transactional environment. All this coincided with multiple legislative leaders — including Democrats Malcolm Smith, John Sampson, Pedro Espada Jr. and Republicans Joe Bruno, Dean Skelos and Tom Libous — being charged with corruption. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — Hochul’s office has been quietly exploring the legal framework for removing public officials. (POLITICO) — If it passes, the pending equality amendment could remain vague until the courts act. (Spectrum News) — A plan to bolster Metro-North against the impact of floods is falling into Hochul’s lap. (LoHud)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | |  Expect attack ads tying the mayor to vulnerable members of his party in coming weeks, a New York GOP strategist told Playbook. | Kent Nishimura/Getty Images | LNY GOP ATTACKS: House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik took the opportunity to excoriate Democrats at large after one of their own was indicted on fraud and bribery charges, POLITICO reports. The North Country Republican, an ally of former President Donald Trump who’s keen to help her party keep the majority in the House, offered a preview of how New York Republicans are likely to leverage Adams’ legal troubles against other Democrats — even those who do not personally know the mayor — as the parties duke it out in battlegrounds. “This is the culmination of the cult of corruption rampant in the New York Democrat Party,” Stefanik said in a statement. “From the former disgraced Governor Cuomo and his sycophant henchmen to the Communist Chinese who have infiltrated Kathy Hochul — the least popular NY Governor in history — to now Eric Adams.” Expect attack ads tying the mayor to vulnerable members of his party in coming weeks, a New York GOP strategist told Playbook. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, notably did not call for Adams to leave office but did stress that the scope and severity of the indictment was troubling. “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,” he said in a statement. “That principle is central to the administration of justice in the United States of America.” — Emily Ngo More from Congress: —The hotly contested political battle between Rep. Marc Molinaro and Josh Riley is the most expensive House race in the country. (POLITICO) — Former Rep. Anthony Brindisi was grilled by the Senate as he seeks a federal judgeship. (Roll Call)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Appeals court judges appeared to question the legitimacy of the civil fraud case against Donald Trump. (POLITICO) — Clergy sex abuse survivors reached a $323 million settlement with the Diocese of Rockville Centre. (Newsday) — The U.S. commerce secretary, who’s in charge of giving Micron Technology billions of dollars to locate in Central New York, isn’t worried about the latest delay in construction. (Syracuse.com)
| | A message from Alibaba: New York companies of all sizes – from family-owned Adirondack Fragrance & Flavor Farm to globally recognized fashion label Diane von Furstenberg – are partnering with Alibaba to reach over one billion international consumers. They’re generating big sales and it’s having an impact back home.
In one year alone, American businesses sold $66 billion worth of products on Alibaba’s online marketplace. These sales not only added $2.3 billion to New York’s economy but also supported 18,400 local jobs and $1.5 billion in wages for New York workers.
Explore how Alibaba benefits local businesses and New York’s economy. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED on Tuesday at a book party for Meridith McGraw’s new book “Trump In Exile” ($24.99) hosted by Kaitlan Collins, Jen Maxfield and Lauren Legittino at the Manhattan home of Lauren and John Legittino: Alex Marquardt, Donie O’Sullivan, Abby Phillip, Tara Palmeri, Hugo Lowell, Brian Stelter, Jessica Dean Katz, Abby Livinston, Gunjan Banerji, Bill Goldstein, TW Arrighi, Peggy Noonan, Ryan Hayden, John McCarthy, Ellison Barber, John Beasley, Andrew Zucker and Allison Gollust. — SPOTTED on Thursday night at a party feting Lauren Fritts’ new job as Hertz’s chief comms officer and her departure from New York hosted by Maria Comella at The Little Ned in New York: Suzanne Scott, Martha MacCallum, Greg Brown, Nathaniel Brown, Neil Grace, Jesse Rodriguez, Craig Gordon, Elise Jordan, City Council Member Keith Powers, Eleanor Hawkins, Jeremy Peters and Stu Loeser. WEEKEND WEDDING – Miles O’Brien, science correspondent for PBS, co-founder of Mobias Media and an aviation analyst for CNN, and Suzanne Tobias, co-founder and director of operations of Mobias Media, on Sunday married at the Wianno Club in Osterville, Mass. The two first met in 1979 but reconnected more than a decade ago when she started working for his production company. They became a couple in 2015, a year after the two grew closer after an accident took his left arm a year earlier. Pics by Daniel Hentz Photography … Another pic MAKING MOVES: Seiichiro Nakai is now press secretary for Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.). He previously was deputy press secretary for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). … Trish Lilley is now chief marketing and business development officer at Barnes & Thornburg LLP. She most recently was chief marketing and business development officer at Thompson Coburn LLP. … Patrick O'Connor is now chief business development and marketing officer at Holland & Knight. He most recently was principal in the forensic and integrity services practice at EY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) (4-0) and Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) (7-0) … Juleanna Glover … POLITICO’s Meridith McGraw … ABC’s Matthew Vann … CBS’ Ellee Watson … Sam Raskin … Pablo Gorondi … Spencer Sherrill … Saraid L. Donnelly Moore … Misha Hyman Missed Thursday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here. | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
