Wall Street Journal reports: How did New York Mayor Adams build a connection with Turkey?

According to an investigation conducted in the US, New York Mayor Adams accepted numerous gifts, including business class flight tickets and luxury accommodations, from Turkish businesspeople in exchange for political favors. The Wall Street Journal reported on the close ties Adams established with Turkey.

According to US prosecutors, years before Eric Adams was elected mayor of New York, he regularly flew around the world for almost free, stayed in luxury hotels, and received many campaign donations.

According to the investigation, all of these were secretly provided by Turkish companies. In 2021, Adams reciprocated these favors.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was scheduled to visit New York and stop by the new 36-story Turkish House (Türkevi) across from the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan.

A Turkish official asked Adams to pressure the New York Fire Department, which had warned that the building could not pass inspection, to allow it to open before Erdoğan arrived. In a phone conversation cited by prosecutors, an official stated that Turkey had supported Adams and that it was now “his turn.”

'A STEEP FALL FOR ADAMS'

According to the federal indictment unsealed on Thursday, which charges Adams with bribery, fraud, and soliciting donations from a foreign national, Adams did as he was told.

This alleged quid pro quo was part of a decades-long courtship of Adams by Turkish officials and businesspeople aiming to cultivate a potentially fruitful relationship with a promising politician in the world's largest financial center. The charges represent a steep fall for Adams, a 20-year veteran of the New York Police Department who was hailed as a potential future face of the party, or even a presidential candidate, shortly after being elected mayor as a tough-on-crime centrist Democrat just months after Erdoğan's visit.

'ADAMS DENIED THE CHARGES'

In his first response to the indictment, Adams denied the charges.

Adams said, “I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments. My lawyers will handle the case from here, so I can handle the city.” A spokesperson for the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Friday that ministry personnel comply with international law and diplomatic customs. The spokesperson said, “It is out of the question for us to interfere in the internal affairs of another country.”

Turkish officials and Adams began to grow closer in 2015. A year after being elected Brooklyn Borough President, he received an official invitation from the country's consulate in New York to visit Turkey.

According to social media posts, this was the first of many visits he made to Turkey, which later included stops at Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, and the final resting place of the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

According to the indictment, during several trips, he met Demet Sabancı Çetindoğan, the vice chair of the board of Demsa Group, which owns the St. Regis hotel in Istanbul, where Adams stayed several times for free or at a high discount. In December 2015, Çetindoğan wrote on Instagram, referring to Adams, “He is a very friendly person.”