NEW YORK — New York City’s defiant Democratic mayor ran into one hurdle after another Monday — facing mounting fallout from the investigations into him and his inner circle just as he tries to improve his precarious political standing.
The city’s Campaign Finance Board voted Monday morning to deny Mayor Eric Adams $4.5 million in public funds for his re-election. Ninety minutes later, his longest-serving, closest aide — Ingrid Lewis-Martin — and her lawyer announced the Manhattan district attorney will soon indict her on alleged corruption charges. More than 1,200 miles away, President-elect Donald Trump said he would consider pardoning the mayor in his federal bribery case — a legal lifeline that carries great political risk in a New York City Democratic primary.
The cascade of bad news comes as Adams faces attacks from a bevy of lesser-known Democrats running to unseat him next year, as well as the prospect of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo jumping into the primary. The mayor has been aggressively trying to change his circumstances lately — alleging he was targeted for his criticisms of outgoing President Joe Biden, lambasting local reporters for their negative coverage and pushing out a string of positive announcements about public safety, tax relief and affordable housing.
None of that was enough to help him navigate the bad news Monday, which culminated in a combative news conference in which his staff tried to cut off reporters as they asked questions about the pressing stories.
In denying Adams matching funds, the local board condemned him to another six months of fundraising ahead of next June’s Democratic primary, a significant setback for any incumbent — though it is one he can appeal.
The board partially based its decision on a five-count federal indictment alleging Adams participated in a bribery scheme involving the Turkish government. The mayor has pleaded not guilty and will face trial in April.
On top of that, with its decision Monday, the board hand-delivered a line of attack that’s sure to dog the mayor throughout his campaign.
“There is now even less of a shot of Mayor Adams winning reelection,” said Democratic strategist Trip Yang, an adviser to Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a potential Adams challenger. “He could raise more contributions, but it will require a lot of effort and time. And this adds to the litany of credibility arguments that could be used against him for the Trump-averse Democratic primary electorate.”
Adams noted at his press conference that while several of his potential competitors did not qualify for matching funds, the board could change its mind going forward. He did not, however, mention that his rivals were denied for different reasons.
“We’re going to continue to work with CFB to answer any questions that they have so we can continue to get the funding,” Adams said. “Even without the funding, we have out-raised substantially everyone else that’s in the race.”
He also had to contend with pending troubles for Lewis-Martin, who abruptly resigned Sunday ahead of expected criminal charges this week. She has been Adams’ closest and most loyal adviser for decades — and is departing his ranks during one of the most tenuous chapters in his political career.
The mayor addressed the loss — which came as the two have been reportedly feuding — in deeply personal terms Monday.
“Whenever I walked on stage to do a State of the City, or go to a debate, no matter what I did, she would walk in the room, ask everyone to leave, and she would grab my hands and she would pray for me,” Adams said. “This morning I did it for her — I lifted her up in prayer.”
The mayor said she is “not only a friend but she’s my sister, and I love her so much, and I just really ask God to give her strength in the days to come.”
Lewis-Martin’s press conference at the office of her attorney, Arthur Aidala, was a reminder that investigations into Adams and his inner circle are still piling up. Aidala, a friend and donor to Adams, answered in the affirmative when asked if he believed that Manhattan prosecutors were trying to get his client to cooperate in a case against the mayor.
For Adams, those legal troubles may be alleviated by the incoming president.
The Republican has shown sympathy toward the Democratic mayor, and each insists Biden’s Department of Justice is targeting them to seek political retribution.
In Adams’ case, he publicly criticized Biden’s handling of the migrant crisis. And both Adams and Trump say that act spurred the DOJ to action.
“I said he’s going to be indicted,” Trump said Monday during a press briefing at Mar-a-Lago. “And a few months later he got indicted. So, I would certainly look into [a pardon].”
Adams referred questions about Trump’s remarks to his attorney and said he hopes the president elect will make the DOJ less politicized.
“I think that what President-elect Trump has gone through is allowing him to see that if the Justice Department is doing what President Biden stated, such as being politicized, I believe he owes it to Americans to make sure that’s not the case,” Adams said.
A pardon from Trump would almost certainly be a political liability for Adams in a Democratic primary, in which left-of-center voters typically flock to the polls. In the last general election, Trump lost the city 68-30 — proving it remains an anti-Trump Democratic stronghold, even as he made significant gains statewide.
Whether any of Adams’ lesser-known opponents can effectively wield that against him remains to be seen, but early signs show most of them are trying that line of attack — presuming voters will be turned off by any whiff of MAGA affiliation.
Adams had steered clear of criticizing Trump — or stumping for Kamala Harris — during the campaign. Since Election Day, he hosted the incoming border czar at his official residence of Gracie Mansion to discuss immigration policy, and has spoken enthusiastically about Elon Musk’s high-level role in the incoming White House.
“I should not have been charged,” Adams said at Monday’s press briefing. “God has a way of showing the irony of life: I’m just saying the same thing that President Biden said. President Biden stated his Justice Department has been politicized. President Trump stated that. I stated that.”
He was referring to Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, and the president’s subsequent statement alleging his own DOJ was engaging in politically motivated selective prosecution.
Adams’ no-good Monday came as things were starting to look up for the mayor.
Earlier this month, City Council members approvedAdams’ signature housing plan. He joined a politically influential union to announce a populist state measure to provide tax relief to low-wage workers. And the NYPD helped catch the 26-year-old suspect in the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO — with a hefty assist from a fast food worker in Pennsylvania.
Back in City Hall, Adams pushed out top advisers who were ensnared in local and federal probes at the behest of Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove him from office. That group of embattled aides — including the former police commissioner, schools chancellor and two deputy mayors — has been replaced by government veterans whom insiders generally regard as serious and competent.
Political and government insiders particularly lauded his appointmentof Maria Torres-Springer as first deputy mayor in October as a sign the administration would begin to focus on governing amid the probes and charges.
City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus said overall crime numbers have come down since Adams took office, while job numbers have increased.
“As Mayor Adams says all the time: ‘Stay focused, no distractions, and grind,’” she said in a statement. “The best way to serve New Yorkers is to continue keeping our eyes on the goal of improving this city and let the results speak for themselves.”