The FBI is investigating New York City Mayor Eric Adams over free upgrades from Turkish Airlines on both official business and leisure travel. It’s part of a wider corruption investigation into the Mayor’s 2021 campaign.
These allegations have prompted searches and seizures by the FBI, targeting Adams’s electronic devices as well as the homes of others linked to these arrangements, including a former Turkish Airlines executive.
Adams has publicly praised Turkish Airlines for its service, calling it “my way of flying,” and has received upgrades both as Brooklyn borough president and as mayor. How many upgrades he received from the airline is not clear, and he hasn’t been charged with a crime.
Indeed, whether or not there was a crime may hinge on whether there was a quid pro quo. There are investigations into illegal campaign contributions – but upgrades for travel on official business wouldn’t seem to be a campaign donation, and neither would upgrades for vacations. Adams wasn’t likely seeking votes in Istanbul. There’s a suggestion that the Mayor may have helped expedite approvals for Turkey’s new consulate in New York, but that seems small potatoes.
So what possible problems are there with free upgrades on Turkish Airlines for the Mayor of New York?
- Official corruption. This requires a quid pro quo, something the Mayor would have done in exchange for the upgrades. Merely being upgraded isn’t enough.
- Campaign finance. Foreign campaign contributions would be problematic, but it’s hard to see how an upgrade on official or vacation business was a donation to his campaigns either for city council or mayor.
- Ethics rules. It’s unlikely he’s implicated federal law here, though, if outside of corruption or campaign finance violations involving a foreign government. And he may have violated disclosure rules, but those aren’t likely to be federal either.
While a Turkish Airlines upgrade may be salacious (it involves an airline owned by a foreign government, and business class!) unless there’s a witness willing to testify to the Mayor offering to get things done for Turkey if they’d upgrade him, or unless he’s the kind of guy who texts about doing crimes, on first blush it seems like one of the harder things to prosecute for.
Of course United Airlines lost CEO Jeff Smisek in a corruption scandal involving Newark airport and the Port Authority of New York New Jersey, where PANYNJ’s chairman sought a special flight from Newark to his vacation home from the CEO and this was provided in exchange for favorable treatment of United’s agenda in front of the agency.
On the other hand, Delta would historically give out elite status to favored politicians with the Governor of Georgia getting comped Diamond status and the Lieutenant Governor, state House Speaker and state Senate President all get Platinum Medallion status. This was legal under Georgia law and not explicitly contingent on official action, but presumably it helped those politicians like Delta more and perhaps feel indebted to them.
Politicians = Freebies . Was , Is , and Will Be .
Better him than some lowlife corporate CEO
To the extent that Adams was involved in any action or decision involving the interests of Turkey, there will be no need for the US Attorney to show an agreement. If the quid pro quo can be proven to a jury by reasonable inference beyond a reasonable doubt, Adams can be convicted of violation of Federal Anti-Bribery statutes. The Senator Menendez prosecution similarly alleges no explicit quid pro quo, but unless he can show that it’s a mere coincidence that he received gold bars from a person who he intervened for, he’s going to jail. If anything though, this is probably not the most serious potential charge that Adams is under investigation for at the moment.
Delta offers excellent flights to domestic and foreign destinations from its premium gates at JFK.
@ Gary — No worse than the corrupt executives at Premium Airways giving Diamond status to politicians for free.
My understanding is this FBI investigation is likely a warning shot to the mayor to get 100% back on the democrat talking points. He had drifted away slightly when he started complaining about Biden for all the “migrants” showing up in NYC. He has complied, so likely nothing more to come of this.
Greasing the skids. That could make for easier dealings in the future.
@Mak – bear in mind that under McDonnell v. United States (2016) an official act has to be a decision or action on a “question, matter, cause, suit, proceeding or controversy” that is formal and specific, and is pending or may by law be brought before any public official, in such official’s official capacity.
Setting up a meeting, talking to another official, or organizing an event alone – even if done in exchange for gifts, loans, or other items of value – is insufficient.
The Court required a direct and formal exercise of governmental power in the specific matter at issue, not merely routine political courtesies or informal acts.
Anyone really surprised? He is a DemocRat.
@ David R. Miller — Right, and no Republicans are corrupt, especiially not the life-long grifting felon traitor in charge of the bunch.
This is a new detail in a case that’s been under investigation for months. His promoting and pulling strings for Turkiye is legitimately eye-raising.
Trump was impeached for a far less.
I’m a New Yorker and no fan of Adams but this investigation (if it does exist) of him receiving comped upgrades from TK really seems like a reach. As others have pointed out, airline comps to politicians has gone on for a long time. Back in the late 80s, I was in First on an AA flight from SFO to JFK and then Mayor Dinkins had been comped into First while his police detail was in the back. Adams is a city official and his ability to do something from Turkish Airlines or the Turkish government is quite limited. Even JFK is not under his control but of the PANYNJ whose officials ae appointed by the two states’ governors. So far, the only suggestion that he has done anything to help the Turkish government was asking the Fire Department to expedite an inspection of their new building in the city. Perhaps not ethical, but pretty low on the scale of government corruption (and , BTW, he’s been accused of much worse for his local friends and donors)
Let’s not kid ourselves. We’re a banana republic, always have been.
Lots of current and former government employees in the US have gotten courtesy upgrades when flying carriers because of their recognized affiliation with a government or government agency.
While accepting such upgrades may have the look of being on the take, in the absence of a material quid pro quo relationship, not sure how this situation with the NYC mayor is more of a problem than the Clarence Thomas situations.
jcil is right
@Gary Leff, Putting to one side that the New York analogue of the Federal Law is less restrictive, that is all true and it couldn’t be just to ingratiate themselves with him for some future favor. But if he did anything with regard to helping the Turkish Consulate with it’s Dept. of Buildings problem, or more likely that he helped KSK Construction with some issue about a project in NYC, that would certainly be an “Official Act.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/22/eric-adams-donors-turkey-00133004
@Gene—thank you!
Low level government staffers on the taxpayer’s dollar.have ethics reporting requirements etc. High level politicians on the taxpayer’s dollar get away with murder, and then some.
Disgusting. Risks putting our democracy on par with a 3d world fascist republic. (I remenber the Sri Lankan story and Emirates sell-off in 2008 after Emirates refused to bump fare-paying business class passengers to give the seats to Rajapaksa’s family.
Full disclosure, I personally have yet to book TK.
First of all I’m a Republican (moderate, more Libertarian actually) but frankly think NYC could do a lot worse than Adams. He is former police officer and has been not nearly as outrageous as the progressive wing of the Democratic party (or his predecessor). Agree any bribes or other breaches of campaign finance law should be prosecuted but be careful NYC what you ask for, the next mayor could be AOC!
@AC: Forget the politics and the petty corruption. He’s incompetent which is pretty important for a Mayor whose basic job is seeing that the city functions reasonably well.