New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Monday he intends to attend an annual political conference in Puerto Rico the day after Election Day, as potential rivals of the incumbent Democrat mayor also will be in attendance to lobby for support in 2025.
At his weekly press conference, Adams, who endorsed Vice President Harris for president and was a delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, was asked who he was voting for and if he planned on attending the SOMOS conference.
“I always look forward to going to SOMOS. I think I’ve missed a couple of years. I’m planning on going, I’m not 100% sure. I would like to go,” Adams said. “It’s a good time to convene with folks in Puerto Rico. So, I have plans on going.”
“But, you know, I got a lot of stuff going on I have to do in the city,” the mayor added a day before the Nov. 5 election. “And if I can get a lot done before next week, then I’ll definitely go. But I’m not going to stay long, no matter what. I made it clear who I endorse, and who I endorse is who I’m voting for. Made that very clear. I was a delegate in Chicago.”
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks to reporters after a news conference in New York, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Last week, Adams raised eyebrows after repeatedly declining to criticize former President Trump, refusing to say when he last spoke with the Republican nominee or whether he was angling for a pardon should Trump win re-election.
Trump has suggested that the DOJ indicted Adams for criticizing the federal government’s response to the migrant crisis. Trump also mentioned Adams by name at his Madison Square Garden rally, thanking the Democratic mayor for saying Trump should not be comparedto German dilator Adolf Hitler or be called a “fascist.”
The annual SOMOS conference begins Wednesday in San Juan. Adams attended in 2021 and 2022. He did not go last year.
Days before the conference was scheduled to start in 2023, the FBI seized Adams’ cell phone in connection to a federal corruption investigation.
The Justice Department indicted Adams in September on bribery, campaign finance, and conspiracy offenses.
The indictment accuses Adams of accepting flight upgrades and other luxury travel perks valued at $100,000 along with illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals looking to buy his influence. In exchange, prosecutors say, Adams performed favors benefiting the Turkish government, including pressuring the fire department in 2021 to approve the opening of a consulate that it deemed unsafe.
Adams held a different elected position at the time, Brooklyn borough president, but by then it was clear that he would become mayor.
Mayor Eric Adams leaves federal court in New York, Friday, on Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Kena Betancur)
Adams has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His federal trial will begin next April, a judge ruled Friday, right in the thick of his promised reelection campaign.
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The SOMOS conference will provide an opportunity for any of Adams’ potential primary challengers to court support in Puerto Rico ahead of the 2025 mayoral election, City & State New York reported.
Mayoral hopefuls already held their first candidate forum in the Bronx on the first day of early voting, according to the outlet. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, city Comptroller Brad Lander, state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie, former city Comptroller Scott Stringer and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani were among those at that meeting.
Rumors suggest former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will mount a mayoral bid. It’s unclear if he’ll attend SOMOS.
Mayor Eric Adams exits the federal courthouse in New York, Friday, on Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Kena Betancur)
U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho set the mayor’s trial date on Friday, as Adams returned to Manhattan federal court for a hearing on his bid to eliminate a key charge in the indictment that threatens his political future.
Ho said he’s confident the April 21, 2025, date will hold, “assuming nothing unexpected comes up.” At the same time, prosecutors said they still haven’t been able to crack a potentially crucial piece of evidence: Adams’ personal cellphone. According to his indictment, Adams changed his password just before giving the phone to authorities, then claimed he forgot it.
Adams’ lawyers are fighting to throw out a bribery charge, one of five counts against the first-term Democrat.
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They argued the charge doesn’t meet the U.S. Supreme Court’s recently narrowed threshold for the crime and shouldn’t apply to Adams because it involves allegations dating to before he became mayor.