A federal grand jury indicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams last week on charges that he sold influence to individuals linked with foreign governments.

However, the high profile Democrat has since leveled allegations of his own, claiming that authorities illegally leaked grand jury information to the media. 

"The prejudice from these leaks has been severe"

According to the New York Post, that assertion was put forward in a court filing submitted on Tuesday by Adams' legal team.

"For nearly a year, the government has leaked grand jury material and other sensitive information to the media to aggrandize itself, further its investigation, and unfairly prejudice the defendant, Mayor Eric Adams," the motion stated.

"The prejudice from these leaks has been severe," attorney Alex Spiro stated. "A cascade of critical articles based on one-sided, misleading leaks by the government has eroded public support for the Mayor long before he was ever charged with a crime and able to defend himself in court."

"The remedies imposed after an evidentiary hearing should be commensurate with the severity of the leaks, up to and including dismissal where prejudice is established," the motion went on to add.

For his part, Adams reiterated the point during a Tuesday press conference, saying that he had been complaining to his attorneys about leaks for the better part of 10 months.

Adams is accused of providing favors to the Turkish government

The Associated Press reported that Adams stands accused of accepting campaign donations along with expensive overseas trips from Turkish figures.

These are said to have included free and heavily discounted upgrades on flights which are estimated to have been worth $100,000.

"I want to be clear, these upgrades and freebies were not part of some frequent flyer or benefits program available to the general public," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams was quoted as saying at a news conference.

In exchange for those benefits, prosecutors contend that Adams took actions which were favorable to Turkey's government, such as expediting the fire safety inspection at its consulate and not commemorating Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

AOC calls for Adams to step down

Adams' indictment prompted calls for his resignation, including from New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City.

The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening gov function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration.

For the good of the city, he should resign.…

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 25, 2024

"I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a social media post last week. "For the good of the city, he should resign."