Mayor Eric Adams and his defense accused the federal government of leaking “grand jury material” to the media and smearing his case before his indictment was unsealed.
In a new motion filed Tuesday, the New York City mayor’s attorneys demanded a public evidentiary hearing to review what they call “persistent leaks” of confidential information that impose “meaningful consequences.”
Adams’ lawyer Alex Spiro referenced a series of articles from the New York Times, spanning the past year, that used anonymous sourcing that could ostensibly only come from government officials.
“For nearly a year, the government has leaked grand jury material and other sensitive information to the media to aggrandize itself, further its investigation and unfairly prejudice the defendant, Mayor Eric Adams,” Spiro wrote in court documents obtained by TheWrap.
Adams was indicted on charges of accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions of up to $10 million from foreign sources, according to the indictment unsealed Sept. 26. Before the document was officially unsealed, the New York Times broke the news a day prior, alleging that Adams and his campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign donations.
The mayor’s legal team said this leak as well as several other over the past year undermine the government’s case — “weak as it is” — the Tuesday filing stated.
“For nearly a year, The New York Times and other media outlets have published articles detailing leaks of various categories of information covered by the grand jury secrecy rule. Those leaks included the identities of witnesses called to testify before the grand jury and characterizations of witness testimony,” the filing read. Spiro also noted that the Times story was even published before the mayor’s counsel was notified of the indictment.
If it’s determined that federal officials revealed confidential information to the press, consequences could include the judge dismissing the case, tossing evidence or forcing agents as well as prosecutors to step aside and not be involved, Adams’ lawyers argued.
The indictment contends that Adams exploited the city’s campaign funds-matching program, which offers substantial matches for small donations. His campaign secured more than $10,000 in matching funds through such false filings, the paperwork alleges.
He also “solicited and demanded” bribes, including free or heavily discounted luxury travel perks from a Turkish official, who allegedly sought Adams’ assistance to work around regulations for a consulate in Manhattan, according to the indictment.
“Only three groups of people could have known the indictment had been returned at the time it was leaked to the Times: the prosecution team, the grand jurors and court staff who processed the then-sealed indictment,” the Tuesday filing noted. “But of those, only the prosecution team would have been privy to the government’s plan to announce additional details the next day (as it did in a self-laudatory press conference). It is therefore clear that the prosecution team is responsible for the leak.”
In a press conference Monday, Spiro said that the mayor’s seat upgrades, free meals and free hotel rooms were not bribes but rather “courtesies to politicians.” The lawyer initially insisted that Adams was not required to disclose who paid for his personal trips, though he received pushback from journalists in the press room. Spiro then argued he was “not an expert” in those laws.
Adams has denied the charges and has made it clear he has no plan to step down from office despite growing calls for his resignation. He still pleads not guilty to the charges against him.
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