NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ Ties to Turkish Airlines Under Scrutiny Amid FBI Probe

Edited by: TJVNews.com

In a new twist to the ongoing federal probe into New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 campaign finances, the FBI has turned its attention to business class upgrades he received on Turkish Airlines flights, according to law enforcement sources.

The New York Post reported on Friday that sources familiar with the matter confirmed that federal investigators are scrutinizing Mayor Adams’ accommodations on international flights, both during his tenure as Brooklyn borough president and since assuming office as mayor in January 2022.

Although Mayor Adams has not been formally accused of any wrongdoing, the focus on his travel arrangements forms part of a broader investigation by Manhattan federal prosecutors, as was indicated in the Post report. This investigation, revealed in November, centers on allegations that the Turkish government illegally funneled funds to Adams’ mayoral campaign.

The probe has already led to raids on the homes of several individuals associated with Mayor Adams, including former Turkish Airlines executive Cenk Ocal, who served on the mayor’s transitional team, and City Hall aide Rana Abbasova, according to the information provided in the Post report.

Responding to the allegations, Mayor Adams’ attorney, Brendan McGuire, vehemently denied any impropriety on behalf of his client. McGuire emphasized that Adams had consistently disclosed his official travel to Turkey during his tenure as borough president and maintained that there was nothing untoward in accepting the upgrades, as was reported by The New York Times.

“As borough president, the mayor consistently disclosed his official travel to Turkey, did not receive any improper upgrades and did nothing inappropriate in exchange for an upgrade,” McGuire stated, as was noted in the Post report. He further emphasized that speculation should not be equated with evidence and expressed confidence in a fair and expeditious resolution to the investigation.

While Mayor Adams had flown on Turkish Airlines multiple times during his visits to Turkey as borough president, the exact number of upgrades he received remains unclear.

As the investigation unfolds, it raises broader questions about the intersection of politics, international relations, and corporate interests, highlighting the importance of maintaining ethical standards and adhering to campaign finance regulations in safeguarding the integrity of democratic processes.

The mayor’s trips to Greece and Qatar, countries serviced by the airline with layovers in Istanbul, have come under particular scrutiny, although it remains unclear whether he utilized Turkish Airlines for these journeys in 2022, the report in the Post said.

The investigation, spearheaded by the Southern District of New York, has raised questions about the nature of Mayor Adams’ relationship with the airline, which is partially owned by the Turkish government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Post report indicated. Despite repeated attempts by  the Post to elicit responses from City Hall and federal authorities, calls have gone unanswered, and the FBI has declined to comment on the matter.

Adams’ affiliation with Turkish Airlines dates back to 2015, during his tenure as Brooklyn borough president. At that time, Adams and his aides undertook two trips to Turkey at the airline’s expense, ostensibly for official borough business, to engage with local officials and discuss potential collaborations, including a sister city agreement, according to the information contained in the Post report. These trips, as revealed in emails obtained by The New York Times, followed a meeting between Adams and Turkish Airlines executives, arranged by his liaison to the Turkish community, Rana Abbasova.

The mayor’s association with Turkish Airlines deepened in subsequent years, with Adams publicly praising the airline during his fifth trip to Turkey. Also mentioned in the Post report was that in a publication aligned with the Turkish government, Adams extolled Turkish Airlines as his preferred carrier and expressed intentions to purchase property in Istanbul.

While Adams’ interactions with Turkish Airlines may initially have seemed innocuous, the revelation of potential financial improprieties and the airline’s ties to the Turkish government have cast a shadow over his tenure as mayor, the Post report suggested.

The mayor’s unabashed affinity for Turkey came to the fore during a flag-raising ceremony in October, just days before the FBI raids sent shockwaves through City Hall.

Adams, speaking proudly at the event commemorating Turkey’s 100-year anniversary as a republic, boasted of his extensive visits to the country. “I’m probably the only mayor in the history of this city that has not only visited Turkey once, but I think I’m on my sixth or seventh visit to Turkey,” he declared, as per the Post report.

However, the mayor’s celebratory remarks were overshadowed by the subsequent FBI raids on November 2, targeting his top campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, as detailed in the Post. The timing of the raids, occurring as Adams was in Washington, D.C., to discuss New York City’s migrant crisis with the White House, added to the intrigue surrounding the investigation.

In a dramatic turn of events, federal agents intercepted Mayor Adams on the streets of New York City, seizing his phones and other digital devices, as was pointed out in the Post report.  This extraordinary move signaled the intensification of the probe and raised questions about the scope of the federal inquiry.

City Hall’s response to the unfolding scandal further deepened the intrigue, as it emerged that Rana Abbasova, the mayor’s former director of protocol for international affairs, had been reported to authorities for allegedly “acting inappropriately” during the campaign, the Post report asserted. Despite the raids and ensuing scrutiny, neither Abbasova, Ocal, nor the Adams campaign have been formally accused of any wrongdoing. However, the Post report said that the cloud of suspicion surrounding the mayor’s ties to Turkey and the federal investigation into his campaign finances has cast a pall over City Hall.

As federal investigators continue to delve into the matter, the public awaits further developments in what has become one of the most significant political scandals to rock New York City in recent memory. The outcome of the probe will undoubtedly have far-reaching implications for Mayor Adams’ political future and the integrity of municipal governance in America’s largest city.