| | | | |  | | By Nick Reisman, Jeff Coltin and Emily Ngo | | Presented by |  | | | With Timmy Facciola
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Muriel Goode-Trufant’s nomination to lead the Law Department will be formally received by the City Council on Thursday. | Jeff Coltin/POLITICO | Mayor Eric Adams’ second pick to be the city’s top lawyer saw how the City Council ripped apart his first pick, Randy Mastro. Is Muriel Goode-Trufant concerned she’ll get the same treatment? The acting corporation counsel burst out laughing in an interview with Playbook Tuesday. “I don't wish to speak on his process,” she said, “but I do certainly hope that mine will not repeat.” Adams is staffing up his administration once again, after an unprecedented series of resignations and firings. His elevation of Maria Torres-Springer to first deputy mayor — meant to quell questions about his ability to lead the city, POLITICO reports — was greeted warmly by the City Council. Even progressive members who have called for Adams’ resignation praised her. “Count on me to be in your corner,” Council Member Shahana Hanif posted on X. “We’ve got important work ahead!” But the council only gets a vote on one major appointment: corporation counsel, which has been empty since Sylvia Hinds-Radix resigned over disagreements with Adams at the end of May. Goode-Trufant’s nomination to lead the Law Department will be formally received by the City Council on Thursday. They’ll have 30 days to hold a hearing and a vote to approve her. She’s expected to cruise through. Goode-Trufant has worked in the Law Department for three decades. Unlike Mastro, she doesn’t have a controversial client list and members aren’t worried she’d be Adams’ attack dog. When Speaker Adrienne Adams’ office was asked over the summer about who they would like as corp counsel, they gave Goode-Trufant as an example. She hasn’t started outreach with the council yet, she said, but she doesn’t expect to need a long list of validators (James Comey! Muzzy Rosenblatt!) like Mastro had. “I think that I speak for myself,” Goode-Trufant said. Investigations, lawsuits and criminal cases are a cloud over the administration, though, and Goode-Trufant is already playing a role, as acting head of the agency. Should city officials sued for sexual harassment — like Adams and former senior Adviser Tim Pearson — get free legal representation from the city? “We follow the general municipal law,” she said, “which indicates that we look at whether a person is acting in the scope of their employment and not in violation of any rules or regulations of the agency at the time of the incident.” That can be reevaluated, however. “As time goes on, you discover new facts. You get to analyze things you may not have known at the time the complaint comes in.” Pearson is still represented by the city in his harassment lawsuits, she confirmed — and leaving city employment doesn’t change that. Adams, whose political future is in question, may want to take note. — Jeff Coltin HAPPY WEDNESDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from Uber: New York City Uber riders pay $700 Million in taxes and fees annually* That’s more than the entire budget for New York City Parks Department. *Based on trips originating from NYC in 2023. Learn more. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? Signs gun safety legislation in Manhattan. WHERE’S ERIC? Calls into 94.7 The Block’s “Jonesy in the Morning,” delivers remarks at the FDNY’s Annual Memorial Day Ceremony, makes a public safety- and infrastructure-related announcement, speaks at the Cannabis NYC Loan Fund information session and speaks at the Excellence in Customer Service Awards. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “When people come to me and say, you know, ‘Jeff’s writing is a shit show,’ I said, ‘Stop beating up on that guy, man. He tries his best.’” — Mayor Eric Adams, after Playbook’s Jeff Coltin asked about people describing City Hall’s organizational structure as a “shit show.”
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | 
Eric Adams has been accused of receiving contributions that came from foreign officials, some of which were matched with a maximum $2,000 from the public coffers. | Yuki Iwamura/AP | STRAW MAN: Despite allegations Adams tried to game the public campaign finance system, good-government advocates and even some Republicans believe there are enough safeguards in place to stop potential fraud. The system allows candidates and campaigns to match private contributions with public dollars in order to reduce the impact of big donors. A public financing program has been in place at the city level for 35 years and a statewide system is in effect for the first time this election cycle. Adams has been accused of receiving contributions that came from foreign officials, some of which were matched with a maximum $2,000 from the public coffers. The campaign raised $19 million and $10 million came from public matching funds. Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro has said only a fraction of the campaign’s total donations — about $24,000 — are under prosecutors’ scrutiny. Adams has pleaded not guilty. Ethics watchdogs — including Reinvent Albany, the New York Public Interest Research Group and the League of Women Voters — argued Tuesday that guardrails meant to monitor the system for fraud have worked. “The bad guys got caught because public matching funds are among the most thoroughly watched and accounted-for tax dollars that exist,” the groups wrote in a joint statement. The top Republican at the state Public Campaign Finance Board doesn’t think this is a rosy assessment from the goo-goos. Brian Kolb, the GOP co-chair and former Assembly minority leader, told Playbook in an interview the state-level system has enough “spot checks” like phone calls to donors to verify their identities. “I haven’t seen anything glaring that jumps out and says, Oh my goodness, we have a major problem here,” Kolb said. Republicans had been leery of a statewide version of publicly financed elections, concerned about the cost and the potential for graft. But Kolb has given an early thumbs up to the program — especially since money is not coming directly from taxpayers, but from fees generated by sports gambling and cannabis sales. “We’re going to have to really wait and get a final opinion about the first year of implementation because there are things you learn or things that could be tightened up,” he said. “But do I think the public financing system generates more competition? My answer would be yes.” — Nick Reisman
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
On Sept. 17, when asked if the Sheriff’s Office ever seized cash during investigations, Miranda said, “I don’t believe so.” | Rich Mendez/POLITICO | FINAL ANSWER?: City Council members Gale Brewer and Justin Brannan sent a letter on Monday to Sheriff Anthony Miranda demanding he clarify his answers regarding cash seizures and workload capacity at a recent hearing about his office’s raids on unlicensed cannabis shops. “Testimony from the public and recent reports in the press have raised serious questions about your testimony,” the letter says. “It is imperative you immediately clarify and provide additional information.” On Sept. 17, when asked if the Sheriff’s Office ever seized cash during investigations, Miranda said, “I don’t believe so.” Days later, POLITICO obtained security footage of law enforcement officers confiscating cash from registers in four separate raids. It’s not clear from the footage whether those officers were with the Sheriff’s Office or New York City Police Department. Miranda did not respond to a request for comment. “We are going to go through our standard response process,” City Hall spokesperson Liz Garcia told Playbook. Miranda testified that his office was “able to maintain the operations that we are required to operate“ while executing the raids, but as the letter pointed out, his office exceeded the annual overtime budget by nearly $5,000,000 or 542 percent in 2024, according to recent reporting from POLITICO. Two weeks ago, the city’s Department of Investigation searched the Sheriff’s Office’s Queens facility. Miranda claimed he found roughly $10,000 in cash that had not been properly vouchered, and called DOI, who upon arrival, seized body cam footage and $100,000 worth of cash. — Timmy Facciola CITY MONEY: Comptroller hopeful Mark Levine tells Playbook he raised more than $100,000 in the last three months, as the Manhattan Borough President aims for a citywide position in 2025. Candidates will get their first matching funds payment in December if they hit certain fundraising thresholds in a filing due Friday. Levine’s team says he’s in line for nearly $1.5 million in public funds alone. Council Member Keith Powers wants to succeed Levine at 1 Centre. He says he’s brought in more than 600 contributions and is in line for $400,000 in matching cash. All the races are in flux right now, but it always helps to have money. Playbook will report more as the numbers roll in. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — Ahsan Chughtai, an Adams’ Muslim liaison who was fired in September, was visited by agents with the FBI and the city Department of Investigation last summer. (THE CITY) — Federal prosecutors charged another Adams Muslim liaison, Mohamed Bahi, with witness tampering and destruction of evidence Tuesday. (POLITICO) — Top city and NYPD officials Chauncey Parker and Kaz Daughtry are on a shortlist of candidates Adams is considering for the deputy mayor for public safety post. (Daily News)
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | | 
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office has not signaled how she will act on the latest version of the bill. | Julia Nikhinson/AP | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. More from Albany: — TikTok is being sued by New York and a dozen other states. (Times Union) — Environmental advocates are concerned Hochul may move the goalposts meant to address climate change. (Gothamist) — Here’s where the state legislative campaign committees are spending their money. (POLITICO Pro)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
Rep. Tom Suozzi has been careful with his words when it comes to Eric Adams | Courtesy of News 12 | ADAMS AND NY-03: New York City’s mayor got a brief mention in the News 12 debate that aired Tuesday night between Long Island Dem Rep. Tom Suozzi and his GOP challenger Mike LiPetri. Prompted by a question from the moderator, LiPetri said Adams should resign and challenged Suozzi to urge the same. But Suozzi, who in 2021 declined Adams’ offer to be deputy mayor, didn’t go that far and took a swipe at LiPetri in his response. “I’ve said that it’s got to go through the process,” the Democrat said. “It’s very sad that so many elected officials are being indicted — and I’m not going to take lessons from the guy who's business partners with George Santos.” — Emily Ngo DIG AT DESPO: PAC End Citizens United filed a complaint Tuesday urging a House ethics probe into Long Island Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who the New York Times first reported had hired both a woman he had dated and his fiancée’s daughter. The watchdog group, which has endorsed D’Esposito’s Dem rival Laura Gillen, alleged a violation of the “spirit” of House rules prohibiting members from engaging in sexual relationships with their subordinates and hiring relatives to work in their congressional offices. “Congressman D’Esposito has never violated any House ethics rules,” his spokesperson Matt Capp responded, “and this is just another example of a leftist advocacy group engaging in partisan attacks in a failing attempt to boost the campaign of D’Esposito’s lackluster Democratic challenger.” — Emily Ngo ATTACKING AN ATTACK ON AN ATTACK: GOP Rep. Marc Molinaro on Tuesday used a cease-and-desist letter sent by Democrat Josh Riley to TV news stations about an “unquestionably false” NRCC attack ad to knock his challenger anew over border security. Molinaro has seized every opportunity in the high-stakes Hudson Valley fight to tie Riley to policies the Republican freshman says encourage illegal immigration, even as Riley has challenged his fellow Democrats over the border. The ad that Riley’s counsel seeks to take down alleges he would help “illegals” access seniors’ benefits. “Josh Riley is not only trying to hide behind TV ads of his own, but he’s using his own legal attacks to silence the criticisms that others would bring against him,” Molinaro said at a news conference. Riley campaign manager Daniel Fleiss responded by charging that “Molinaro has been a complete failure on the border.” “All he has to offer voters is lies, whether it’s about immigrants eating pets or Josh’s record,” Fleiss said in a statement. “The truth is Josh is the only candidate in this race who will fix our broken immigration system and protect Social Security.” — Emily Ngo More from Congress: — Why Republicans feel good about Kamala Harris’ showing in New York. (Semafor) — New York is home to some of the country’s most vulnerable Republicans, but the district represented by Rep. Mike Lawler is proving tough for Democrats to flip. (The Atlantic) — Vandals smashed a plate glass window at Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s Upper Manhattan office and flung red paint at it. (New York Post)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Hochul’s administration is publicizing it has opened a trade office in Taiwan — amid accusations a former staffer tried to thwart efforts to recognize the country’s sovereignty as a spy for China. (New York Post) — A New York prison confiscated an incarcerated journalist’s typewriter after she wrote an article criticizing solitary confinement. (NY Focus)
| | | | A message from Uber: Ever thought about what it’s like to drive for Uber in New York?
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Learn more. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MEDIAWATCH: NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo said the Democratic Party in New York City has veered too far to the left for his centrist brother to mount a successful bid for mayor. (New York Post) MAKING MOVES: Elena M. Gallo has been named government banking division executive of Wells Fargo. She most recently served as the bank’s Northeast market executive for government banking. SPOTTED: on Sunday afternoon at a BAFTA tea for the New York Film Festival at the Pierre: Daniel Craig, Keenan Michael Key, Natasha Lyonne, Kiernan Culkin, Denyce Graves, Patricia Clarkson, Tara Grace, Joyce Pierpoline, Courtney LeBarge Bell, JT Rogers, Kaitlan Collins, Angelo Roefaro, Jessica Dean and Alex Katz, Mark Axelowitz and Tammy Haddad. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: ABC’s Justin Fishel … Jason Kaplan … Kim Gamel … Julia Schechter … (WAS TUESDAY): Rabbi Menachem Creditor Missed Tuesday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.
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