NYC mayor deflects questions about bribery charges as a potential witness speaks outside City Hall

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday delivered his most thorough public defense to date since his indictment on federal bribery charges, insisting the case was a “test” that would not distract him from governing as he deflected specific questions about the investigation for more than an hour Tuesday.

Yet even as the mayor began to address reporters alone beneath a City Hall rotunda, a potential witness in one of the sprawling investigations was wrapping up his his own news briefing steps away, complaining he had been the victim of a corrupt “shakedown.”

The whiplash-inducing morning at City Hall reflected the deepening tumult that has gripped the Democrat’s administration in recent weeks, raising questions about whether Adams can continue managing the nation’s largest city while shuttling between court appearances and contending with an exodus of top deputies.

As he stepped to the podium, a smiling Adams began his comments with a favorite quip: “This is going in my book.”

But if he was seeking to convey his signature swagger, the mayor also appeared evasive and isolated. Adams typically enters his Tuesday briefings accompanied by triumphant walk-on music and is flanked by a phalanx of top officials, including his chief legal counsel. But his top lawyer recently resigned. On Monday night, one of his closest advisors also stepped down. Another was served with a federal subpoena on Friday.

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