NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Mayor Eric Adams confirmed on Tuesday during his weekly press meeting that Brianna Suggs, his top political fund-raiser, is no longer managing his campaign's fundraising efforts.
When questioned by a reporter about the reasons behind Suggs' departure from the role, Adams refrained from providing specific details.
“I’m not going to get into personal conversation,” Adams responded. He further added, “As we said over and over again, this is an active review and the question was asked is she still fundraising, I said no to that.”
Adams then avoided further explanation.
This announcement follows weeks of scrutiny after the FBI conducted a search of Suggs' home, uncovering a federal investigation into Adams' campaign. On Nov. 2, FBI agents conducted a search at the home of Briana Suggs, the chief fundraiser during Mayor Eric Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign.
The decision implies a shift in Adams’ stance, who had previously expressed support for Suggs.
Further intensifying the scrutiny, just four days after the search at Suggs’ residence, FBI agents approached Adams as he departed a public event. They asked his police security detail to step aside and proceeded to seize his electronic devices.
So far, neither Suggs nor Adams has been formally accused of any wrongdoing.
The focus of the investigation includes allegations that the Adams campaign may have conspired with the Turkish government to illicitly receive campaign contributions from foreign sources, using straw donors as intermediaries, according to the New York Times.
Investigators are probing whether Adams took actions in 2021 to facilitate city approval for a Manhattan skyscraper linked to the Turkish government, despite concerns about the building’s fire prevention systems.
“We don’t do the straw donors,” Adams had said in response to these allegations. “We don’t, you know, do quid pro quo. We follow the law. I’m very clear on that,” Adams had said in response to these allegations.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.