In the midst of battling explosive federal bribery charges, Mayor Eric Adams subtly hinted that he would "welcome" the backing of former President Donald Trump.
This comes as he discreetly incorporated a former Trump White House attorney into his defense team.
According to The New York Post, Adams, when queried about Trump's assertion that the mayor's position on New York City's immigration crisis made him a target, responded in a non-specific manner. "I welcome support from every American," Adams stated. "No matter where they are and who they are. I welcome support from everyone from those who know me and from those who are just reading up on this. Every American in this great country, I welcome support from.
These remarks were made during Adams' first weekly press conference since the unveiling of his unprecedented federal criminal charges, amidst relentless questioning from a multitude of journalists. Trump had previously alleged that he foresaw Adams facing federal charges when the mayor expressed his views on immigration, indirectly opposing President Joe Biden. This contention mirrors Trump's own claims of being a victim of legal harassment by the FBI and Department of Justice.
Trump, during a press conference at Trump Tower, recalled, And I said, You know what? Hell be indicted within a year.' Last week, a comprehensive federal indictment against Adams accused him of defrauding taxpayers of $10 million in matching campaign funds and accepting $123,000 in bribes in the form of luxury travel benefits from Turkish officials and nationals.
Adams, who pleaded not guilty to all five counts of bribery, conspiracy, and wire fraud, is due to appear in court again on Wednesday. The mayor has hinted, without providing proof, that his stance on the immigration crisis has made him a target of the federal government's political agenda.
Behind the scenes, the seemingly unlikely alliance between Democrat Adams and Republican Trump has been strengthening as the mayor prepares his legal defense. Court records reveal that conservative lawyer John Bash, who was personally selected by Trump in 2017 to serve as US Attorney for the Western District of Texas, is now assisting Adams in fighting his federal charges in Manhattan.
Bash, who served as one of Trump's legal advisors in the White House during the first year of his presidency, has previously clerked for conservative Supreme Court justices Brett Kavanaugh and Antonin Scalia. He is currently employed at the law firm Quinn Emanuel, working alongside Adams' trial attorney Alex Spiro.
During his tenure as US Attorney for the Western District of Texas, from December 2017 until October 2020, Bash was tasked with enforcing Trump's contentious policy of separating families at the border. However, The Atlantic reported that Bash resisted the manner in which the policy was being implemented.
Adams has also enlisted the services of another attorney, William "Bill" Burck, who previously represented Trump's former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. Burck, who also served as a top lawyer in George W. Bush's White House and is a member of the board of directors at the Fox Corporation, abruptly ceased representing Bannon in a fraud case in Manhattan federal court in November 2020. This followed Bannon's public call for the beheading of FBI director Chris Wray and Dr. Anthony Fauci, in the wake of Trump's loss in the presidential election to Biden.
As the legal battle continues, the ties between Adams and Trump's former associates underscore the complex dynamics at play. The mayor's welcoming of support "from every American" signals his determination to fight the charges, even as he navigates the political minefield that comes with such high-profile allegations.
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