New York City Mayor Eric Adams may soon resign or be forced out of office in the coming days after facing an indictment on corruption charges this week.
The line of succession for mayor of the Big Apple means the office would temporarily go to Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Williams would then have three days to set the date for a special election, and he would serve as mayor until the new mayor is elected.
Williams is a former community organizer who previously served on the city council. Willams and Adams clashed earlier this year over a police reform bill that Williams had co-sponsored. Adams vetoed the bill, and Williams blasted him as a "fearmonger."
If Williams were for some reason unable to serve as mayor, then the office would go to Brad Lander, the city's comptroller, according to Fox 5. Labner is already running against Adams for mayor in the 2025 election.
A Manhattan grand jury indicted Adams on federal criminal charges on Wednesday following a campaign corruption investigation.
NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ERIC ADAMS INDICTED
Federal prosecutors allege the 64-year-old illegally received foreign and corporate campaign donations for a decade in exchange for influence. Adams countered with a video statement saying any charges filed against him would be "entirely false, based on lies," and insinuated that his criticism of the Biden administration's disastrous border policies made him a target for retaliation.
While Adams has not been arrested, sources said agents seized the mayor's phone and raided his home Thursday morning. It was not immediately clear whether Adams was at Gracie Mansion when they arrived.
FBI RAIDS HOME OF NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS' CHIEF FUNDRAISER BRIANNA SUGGS, SOURCE SAYS
On top of campaign donations, Adams allegedly received other perks, including free flights on Turkish Airlines to destinations in Europe and Asia, free hotel stays and free high-end meals. In one instance, he allegedly asked about flying to Chile's Easter Island on a Turkish jet – but he couldn't because it did not offer a route connecting New York and the South American country.
READ THE INDICTMENT:
In some cases, he is accused of creating a fake paper trail to make it look like items had been paid for, and he is accused of deleting text messages to and from co-conspirators about the purported scam.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, called the fake paper trail "just a clumsy cover-up."
Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report
