(NewsInsights.org) – Questions arose concerning Democratic New York Mayor Eric Adams’ role in expediting the opening of the Turkevi Center skyscraper, which houses the Turkish consulate and sits across the street from the UN building. The mayor denied any wrongdoing and vowed to continue cooperating with the FBI probe investigating the incident and his 2021 mayoral campaign.
In early September 2021, then Brooklyn Borough President and Democratic nominee for the New York City (NYC) mayoral race, Adams received a text from Reyhan Özgür, the Turkish Consul General. The two had worked together during Adams’ eight-year term as borough president. Özgür informed the candidate that crews had completed construction on the new consulate building, but the city hadn’t yet issued a temporary Certificate of Occupancy (COO) to allow diplomats to begin moving. The top Turkish diplomat asked Adams if he knew anyone who could help.
Adams contacted then-Commissioner Daniel Nigro of the New York Fire Department (FDNY), asking if he could look into the matter. About a week later, Nigro texted Adams to let him know the Turkish Consul General could likely expect a temporary COO by September 13, 2021.
Özgür, working against a September 21, 2021 deadline, needed to have the Consulate available for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to cut the ribbon for the grand opening ceremony concurrent with his visit to the UN General Assembly.
Yet questions arose about Adams’ role and whether he or his campaign received any payment from Turkish companies or individuals as quid pro quo for his assistance in opening the consulate on time. As a result, the FBI raided the home of his campaign finance manager, Brianna Suggs, 25, on November 2. They took all electronics and financial records.
On November 6, the FBI took two iPads and three cell phones from Adams’ home. Yet, Adams insisted he’d done nothing wrong. He explained that notifying government agencies about constituents’ concerns fell inside his routine duties as a borough president. Critics have pointed out that the consulate, located in Manhattan, wasn’t in his Brooklyn jurisdiction.
The mayor’s attorney, Boyd Johnson, stated the FBI hadn’t accused the mayor of any crimes and his client “continues to cooperate with the investigation.”
Copyright 2023, NewsInsights.org
