Federal investigators looking into Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign are now focusing on a series of texts that suggest he helped expedite the opening of the Turkish government’s new diplomatic headquarters in Manhattan, sources close to the case told The Post.
September 2021 texts between Adams — then Brooklyn borough president and Democratic mayoral candidate — and Turkish Consul General Reyhan Özgür and then-FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro were discovered by FBI agents on Monday after they seized Adams’ electronic devices.
The texts were described by sources to The Post.
Since Monday, the feds’ questions about the contents of the devices — which include three cellphones and two iPads — have focused on these texts, sources said.
However, the messages do not appear to indicate any criminal activity outside the normal reach of elected officials on behalf of constituents, according to several sources briefed on the matter.
In September 2021, two months before he was elected mayor, Eric Adams texted then-FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro (far left) and asked if he could see why the FDNY had not yet issued the “temporary certificate of occupancy” needed to open the the Turkish government’s new diplomatic office in Manhattan.Tomas E. Gaston
In a text on September 5, 2021, Özgür informed Adams that construction had recently been completed on the new Turkevi Center diplomatic headquarters, located at 46th Street and First Avenue across the street from the United Nations building, sources said.
However, Özgür noted that even if the new headquarters receives the necessary approvals from the city’s Buildings Department to operate, it still needs to obtain a “temporary occupancy certificate” from the Fire Department. He then asked Adams if he knew Nigro and could help.
Adams, according to sources, contacted Nigro and asked him to look into the matter, but did not instruct him to do anything.
On Sept. 10, Nigro sent a message to the would-be mayor, saying the necessary approvals were good to go the following Monday, or Sept. 13.
The Turkevi Center – the new home of the Turkish Consulate General in New York City – is now the focus of a federal investigation into Mayor Eric Adam’s 2021 fundraising based on new texts that have surfaced, sources said. Facebook Consulate General of Turkey in New York
The 36-story Turkevi Center skyscraper celebrates its grand opening on September 21, 2021. In addition to being the New York residence of the Turkish consulate, it also includes meeting space, commercial space and apartments.
The Adams campaign declined to comment on the content of the phone text. Nigro and representatives for the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI could not be reached for comment Saturday night.
Rubén Díaz Jr., a former state assemblyman and Bronx borough president, questioned whether the Fed would open fire when told about the text.
“I don’t think it should be a smoking gun,” he said. “I don’t see any issue at all. Each elected official makes calls to city agencies on behalf of entities, businesses and constituents. That’s what we do.”
City Councilman Kevin Riley, another Bronx Democrat, agreed, saying he believed the mayor did nothing wrong.
Five days after being asked to look into the matter, then-FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro texted Adams in September 2021 and said the Turkish government would be given the green light by his department to open a new Turkish consulate in Manhattan. Dennisthephotog.com
“It is not foreign to a [elected] members to contact commissioners to see what they can do for constituents. It’s usually protocol,” Riley said.
Federal authorities are investigating whether the Turkish government or Turkish citizens illegally channeled donations to Adams’ campaign using “straw donors,” a scheme in which contributors listed on official records are not the actual sources of funding and whether Adams did quid-pro-quo favors .
Investigators specifically sought evidence that the campaign benefited leaders and staff at Brooklyn-based KSK Construction Group and Turkish officials.
The seizure of Adams’ electronic devices came four days after FBI agents armed with a warrant raided the Brooklyn home of his main campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, 25, to obtain documents related to contributions to Adams’ 2021 campaign, as well as records of trips to Turkey by campaign workers that could reveal more about any relationship with the Turkish government.
The raid prompted the mayor to cancel a meeting with White House officials about the Big Apple’s growing immigrant crisis. Adams – who has criticized President Biden’s lax border policies – flew back to New York City as soon as he landed in DC
Adams’ campaign attorney, Boyd Johnson, said Friday the mayor is cooperating with federal authorities and has reported that an internal review found “an individual has recently acted inappropriately.”
“In the spirit of transparency and cooperation, this behavior was promptly and proactively reported to investigators,” Johnson said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
