Is Eric Adams' growing Turkish scandal a distraction or disaster for his administration?

The New York City mayor scrambles to 'address a matter' as federal investigators ratchet up a probe into his 2021 campaign

NYC mayor Eric Adams
(Image credit: Illustrated / Getty Images)

Perhaps never in the colorful, boisterous history of New York City politics has there been a mayor quite like Eric Adams. Whether holding court in the VIP section of his favorite nightclub, extolling the "special energy" emanating from the city's unique geology (according to New York news outlet Hellgate, Adams is "NYC's first Crystals Guy mayor"), or detailing his experience with purported poltergeists ("You hear squeaks ... You hear a door close") Adams has already managed in carve a unique niche for himself in the illustrious annals of Big Apple bosses. As Adams sees it, "swagger" is as crucial a component of his leadership as any one policy initiative or legislative goal, because as he's explained: "When a mayor has swagger, the city has swagger."

Still, for as much as Adams has worked to establish himself as a singular figure for a new era of New York City, he finds himself this week grappling with a decidedly unoriginal challenge: a political scandal over money, influence, and corruption emanating from the heart of his inner circle. 

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.