Former President Trump said he predicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams would be indicted within a year, while calling on the need for an honest Justice Department.
Trump spoke to reporters inside Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday afternoon, and afterward fielded several questions on topics such as the war in Ukraine, Iran and the indictment of Adams, who was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on federal criminal charges on Wednesday following a campaign corruption investigation.
A reporter asked if Trump thought Adams would get a fair trial, and Trump responded that he did not know.
Trump said that he did not know Adams very well, even acknowledging that the current mayor has been generous toward Trump in his statements. The “worst mayor ever,” Trump claimed, was former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who served the term prior to Adams.
NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ERIC ADAMS INDICTED
Former President Trump delivers remarks to the press at Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
“I will say this. I watched about a year ago when [Adams] talked about how the illegal migrants are hurting our city, and the federal government should pay us and we shouldn’t have to take them,” Trump said. “I said, ‘You know what? He’ll be indicted within a year.’ And I was exactly right because that’s what we have.”
“We have people that use the Justice Department and the FBI at levels that have never been seen before,” Trump added, wishing Adams luck.
Trump admitted he did not know anything about what Adams did to get indicted, but a group in the room told Trump he was right about his prediction.
FBI RAIDS HOME OF NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS’ CHIEF FUNDRAISER BRIANNA SUGGS, SOURCE SAYS
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference outside Gracie Mansion in New York City on Thursday. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
On Wednesday, the mayor was indicted on one count of conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and commit wire fraud and bribery, one count of wire fraud, two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals and one count of soliciting and accepting a bribe.
Trump continued to speak about the immigration problem that Adams spoke ill of, and called on federal officials to pay New York City to handle it.
“He said this is really unfair to make us carry this burden. We shouldn’t be doing this This is New York City,” Trump said.
Former President Trump wished New York City Mayor Eric Adams luck in his fight against the Justice Department. (Angelia Weiss/AFP via Getty Images | Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
The parks are loaded up, Trump, a former city resident, said, adding that he recently passed the Roosevelt Hotel and it was unrecognizable.
“[Adams] came out very strongly against it. He was right, by the way, because it’s ruining our country,” he said. “He was honest, and I said he will be indicted within a year. And that’s what happened.”
Trump said the indictments go back a long time, comparing it to when he was indicted in New York City.
The prosecution made sure the charges happened before the statute of limitations in both cases, Trump noted.
“That’s what they do. These are dirty players. These are bad people,” Trump said. “They cheat and they do anything necessary. These are bad people. And we need an honest Justice Department. We need an honest FBI, and we need it fast.”
Law enforcement agents leave New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ residence, Gracie Mansion in New York City on Thursday. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
The FBI has reportedly been looking into whether Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government and other entities to raise funds. Some New York officials have also been probed over potential investigations into contacts with China.
The alleged fraud sucked in more public funding for the mayor’s campaign under a program that supplements small-dollar donations with matching grants of up to $2,000 supported by taxpayers, according to the indictment. According to court documents, a donation of just $250 from an individual could send a candidate up to $2,000 in “matching funds” from taxpayers. It happened so frequently that Adams allegedly received $10 million from the program.
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On top of campaign donations, Adams allegedly received other perks like free flights on Turkish Airlines to destinations in Europe and Asia, free hotel stays and free high-end meals. In one instance, he allegedly asked about flying to Chile’s Easter Island on a Turkish jet — but he couldn’t because it did not offer a route connecting New York and the South American country.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
