The shoe that had been dangling finally dropped. Mayor Eric Adams, after months and months of scrutiny and charges against people within his administration, has now been indicted himself on federal criminal charges.

Now, we don’t exactly know what Mayor Adams has been indicted for yet. That will apparently be revealed later today.

The indictment is sealed, and it was unclear what charge or charges Mr. Adams, a Democrat, will face or when he will surrender to the authorities. Federal prosecutors are expected to announce the details of the indictment on Thursday.

The unprecedented indictment comes a little less than a year after federal agents searched the home of Mr. Adams’s chief fund-raiser and seized the mayor’s electronic devices as he left a public event in Manhattan.

The mayor and his aides have said he was cooperating with the authorities, and Mr. Adams has continued to insist that he has done nothing wrong.

Mr. Adams, a retired police captain, was elected New York’s 110th mayor in 2021 after a campaign built on a pledge to reduce crime, bring professionalism to City Hall and tap his personal brand of “swagger.”

But he staffed top positions with friends and loyalists, and his inner circle has been engulfed by federal investigations that have targeted the highest ranks of city government. Earlier this month, federal agents seized phones from numerous top city officials, including a top aide to Mr. Adams, the schools chancellor and the police commissioner. The commissioner, Edward A. Caban, and the schools chancellor, David C. Banks, later resigned.

Now, without knowing exactly what the indictment contains, it is hard to say which investigation Adams has been caught up in. One of them involves campaign violations and a potential quid pro quo to Turkey.

One of the investigations is believed to be focused on whether Adams’ mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources. As part of that probe, the FBI last year searched a home in Brooklyn belonging to Adams’ chief fundraiser.

Federal investigators have also been looking into whether Adams pressured the city’s former fire commissioner to approve a new building housing the Turkish Consulate despite safety concerns.

Adams was still Brooklyn’s borough president when, shortly after he won the Democratic mayoral primary in 2021, he reached out to then-Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro, according to sources familiar with the matter. Adams encouraged Nigro to evaluate a request from the Turkish government to use the building, which had not yet opened because fire department officials had refused to sign off on the safety of its occupancy.

Adams’ phones were seized as part of the inquiry, and FBI agents have questioned Nigro as a witness at least twice, sources familiar with the matter have told NBC News. (Nigro has declined to comment.)

Adams, for his part, declared that he is innocent before the details of the indictments were known. He released a video statement on Wednesday night once the news broke.

While Adams doesn’t reveal if he knows anything about what he is being indicted for, he claims that he is “standing his ground” for the people he represents.

“My fellow New Yorkers.

It is now my belief that the federal government intends to charge me with crimes.

If so, these charges would be entirely false, based on lies.

But they would not be surprising. I always knew that If I stood my ground for all of you that I would be a target—and a target I became.

For months, leaks and rumors have been aimed at me in an attempt to undermine my credibility and paint me as guilty.

Just this past week they searched the home of our new police commissioner, looking for documents from 20 years ago—but just one week after he joined my administration.

Enough. I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength, and my spirit.

If I am charged, I know I am innocent. I will request an immediate trial so that New Yorkers can hear the truth.

Adams references the migrant crisis by tossing this line into the speech, as proof that he was working for city residents and their best interests, while also alleging that this is the reason why he is being prosecuted:

Despite our pleas, when the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics.

And it is true, Adams was very critical of the lack of support from the Biden-Harris administration. There is plenty of online speculation that this is the reason why Adams was “targeted” – and Adams himself believes it. That seems like a stretch for it to be the ONLY reason. However, many Democrats have begun calling for Adams to resign now. AOC led the charge early on Wednesday, clearly seeing which way the wind was blowing.

I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City.

The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening gov function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration.

For the good of the city, he should resign.…

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 25, 2024

Other local Democrats quickly followed her lead once the news was out.

“Mayor Adams, like all New Yorkers, deserves due process, the presumption of innocence, and his day in court. However, it is clear that defending himself against serious federal charges will require a significant amount of the time and attention needed to govern this great city,” New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said. “The most appropriate path forward is for him to step down so that New York City can get the full focus its leadership demands.”

Former Comptroller Scott Stringer, who has explored the possibility of running, also released a statement calling on Adams to resign.

“There is simply zero chance that the wheels of government will move forward from this full steam head. Instead, we are left with a broken-down trainwreck of a municipal government,” he said.

“It’s a sad day for New York City when a sitting mayor is indicted on federal charges. While he is presumed innocent until proven guilty, there is no way he can effectively lead with this cloud hanging over him. With the challenges our city faces, he must step down for the good of New Yorkers,” Council Member Robert Holden wrote in a statement.

“Mayor Adams has already proven himself unfit and unable to lead from City Hall. He will absolutely be unable to lead from inside a courtroom. He must resign,” wrote Council Member Shekar Krishnan.

According to state law, only Governor Kathy Hochul has the power to remove Eric Adams from office, and there is no indication that she will do that. If the mayor’s office does become vacant, though, progressives would get their wish.

If Eric Adams resigns, then the mayoralty passes to Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a democratic socialist who narrowly lost the 2018 LG primary to… Kathy Hochul.

If he passes (because the job is clearly cursed) it goes to Comptroller Brad Lander, who actually wants it.

— Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) September 26, 2024

Jumaane Williams is AOC’s dream candidate.

Williams, a self-described activist-politician who began his tenure as public advocate in 2019, has held elected office since 2010 when he first served on the City Council.

The 48-year-old Brooklynite, who lives on an Army base, has pushed for numerous liberal causes during his nearly 15-year career in public service.

Most recently, he backed a City Council bill that requires police officers to fill out detailed forms for encounters as mundane as helping a tourist with directions or asking witnesses questions while helping a sick train passenger.

During the tense 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in the city, Williams stoked anti-cop sentiment and even accused then-Mayor Bill de Blasio of using his biracial family as a shield.

To put it bluntly, if Jumaane Williams ends up as acting mayor, New York City will find itself in an even deeper hole than it does now. But if this indictment is related to the investigation over alleged Turkish campaign contributions, and if the feds have the receipts, then Adams is in deep trouble.

Regardless of what happens now, New York City is in for a political roller coaster. Eric Adams’s term isn’t up until January 1, 2026. That’s more than a full year out, and he might not be able to hang in there for that long. If he does resign, Williams would step in as acting mayor, and would have to call for a special election – but it would have to happen at least 90 days before the regular primary date of June 24, 2025. If Adams stays in office, and is removed after that time frame, then Williams would be mayor until the next election. Right now, with the indictment hanging over Eric Adams, the stage is set for a game of political chicken. The winner is unknown. The losers are the people of New York City.

UPDATE 8:45 AM PT
Oooooh boy. If the feds have the goods, then Eric Adams is toast.

Federal Indictment against #NewYork Mayor Eric Adams unsealed

Count 1: Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Federal Program Bribery, and to Receive Campaign Contributions By Foreign Nationals

Count 2: Wire Fraud

Count 3: Solicitation of a Contribution by a Foreign National

Count…

— Susan Li (@SusanLiTV) September 26, 2024

The five-count indictment — the first against a sitting New York City mayor — details an alleged decade-long pattern of corruption by Adams after he was indicted by a grand jury on conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery charges amid the long-running federal probe.

“In 2014, Eric Adams, the defendant, became Brooklyn Borough President. Thereafter, for nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him,” the 57-page indictment charges.

“As Adams’s prominence and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their corrupt relationships with him, particularly when, in 2021, it became clear that Adams would become New York City’s mayor,” the filing continues.

“Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received.”

These are not idle charges. The mayor better have an excellent legal team.

Featured image: Eric Adams via Krystalb97 on Wikimedia Commons, cropped, CC BY-SA 4.0