NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Mayor Eric Adams’ lawyer filed court papers in the mayor’s public corruption case on Saturday arguing that the federal prosecutor who brought charges against him did so to bolster his own political prospects.
The lawyer, Alex Spiro, wrote to the judge overseeing Adams’ case on Saturday to argue that through the publication of an op-ed on Thursday, former U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York Damian Williams defied a court-ordered rule stating that a lawyer participating in or associated with an investigation may not engage in extrajudicial commentary that would interfere with a fair trial.
This rule refers to lawyers currently or previously involved in the case, according to the filing.
The op-ed, published in City & State New York, examined the failings of the city’s local government and leaders, as perceived by Williams. In his filing, Spiro brands the opinion piece an act of “ethical misconduct” and points to direct quotations that he claims are “inflammatory.”
“America’s most vital city is being led with a broken ethical compass,” Williams wrote, later referring to alleged campaign finance practices as “[reeking] of pay-to-play corruption” and stating that “[t]he ability to raise obscene sums of money for a campaign is precisely the wrong bottleneck to elected office.”
Adams was not referred to by name in the op-ed.
Adams pleaded not guilty last year to a five-count indictment charging him with bribery, wire fraud and corruption. The charges allege that the mayor accepted luxury travel benefits and illegal campaign donations from Turkish nationals in exchange for political favors and influence.
The indictment was brought by the Southern District, which was under the purview of Williams at the time. He announced his planned resignation on Nov. 25, not even two weeks after President-elect Donald Trump nominated former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton for the role. He formally stepped down after Dec. 13.
“But the ethical misconduct likely runs even deeper here,” Spiro wrote. “The op-ed all but announces that Mr. Williams is planning to run against Mayor Adams or otherwise seek a high-profile elected office.”
In the filing, Spiro refers to a domain registered to Williams on Dec. 26 that links to headlines documenting his work, and to the media’s interpretation that the website indicates the former prosecutor may want to run for office.
“It would be unprecedented in modern prosecutorial history for a U.S. Attorney to indict a political opponent, resign, and then challenge that opponent for office while the case remains pending,” Spiro wrote. “The taint on the jury pool is irrevocable.”
Adams, a Democrat, is running in a competitive second mayoral primary come June, only months after his scheduled trial in April.
Spiro said that the evidence presented in his filing should be considered by the court when evaluating the mayor’s motion to dismiss, and called on the Department of Justice to open an investigation into whether the prosecution was brought for “improper purposes.”
Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for the Southern District, declined 1010 WINS’ request for comment.