FBI Seized NYC Mayor Eric Adams' Phones In Fundraising Investigation. Legal Analysis With NY Attorney David Schwartz on WABC7

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0:00 this is New York's number one News 0:03 Channel 7 Eyewitness News some new 0:05 developments tonight in the federal 0:06 fundraising investigation involving the 0:08 campaign two years ago of New York mayor 0:10 Adams a week after the FBI seized the 0:13 mayor's cell phones and his iPad we 0:15 learned that investigators are looking 0:16 into if and how Mr Adams might have 0:19 helped the Turkish government get fire 0:21 department clearance to open the Turkish 0:23 Consulate near the UN before Adams 0:25 became mayor the investigation became 0:27 public after the FBI raid on the mayor's 0:29 Chief fund rer 11 days ago I would rep 0:32 NJ Burkin with the story and the latest 0:33 he's live at City Hall for us 0:36 n yeah right Bill the FBI is following 0:39 the money tonight where did it come from 0:42 where did it go and why for the mayor at 0:44 least for the moment it's business as 0:49 usual it's the image mayor Adams is 0:51 determined to project that he's focused 0:54 and in control we talking about 0:58 helicopters deflect questions about the 1:01 investigation while praising the 1:03 potential of electric helicopters you 1:05 have to be focused uh no distractions 1:08 and grind and that's what this 1:09 Administration is about straight ahead 1:11 and that's what Eric Adams tried to do 1:13 today even as the questions persist it 1:16 was 11 days ago that FBI agents raided 1:19 the home of the mayor's Chief fundraiser 1:21 Briana Suggs amid a federal 1:23 investigation into whether Adam's 2021 1:26 campaign received illegal contributions 1:29 from citizens and government officials 1:31 in Turkey sources confirm that 1:33 authorities are now investigating 1:35
whether Adams Then the Brooklyn burough 1:37 president played a role in fast-tracking 1:39 a certificate of occupancy for the 1:41 Turkish Consulate which opened that same 1:44 year text messages indicate that Adams 1:46 raised the issue with then fire 1:48 commissioner Dan Nigro but sources say 1:51 Adams apparently made no specific 1:53 request the messages recovered after the 1:56 mayor was ordered to surrender his cell 1:57 phones to FBI agents in a surprise 2:00 encounter last week Rich Frankle is a 2:03
former FBI special agent in charge they 2:06 believe he's got evidence of criminal 2:09 activity on his phone he may be a 2:12 witness and it may not actually 2:13 implicate him but the fact that the FBI 2:15 did it in that manner surprising former 2:18 prosecutor David Schwarz there has to be 2:20 an exact tie in to the mayor and this 2:24 money and there's no evidence of that 2:26 whatsoever that we know of so far that 2:28 we know of so far council member Gail 2:30 Brewer says it's not uncommon to 2:32 intervene with the FDNY to get 2:35 inspections done I help people with the 2:37 fire department all the time because the 2:38 fire department has very few inspectors 2:40 and so I'm always calling the fire 2:42 department to please hurry up and get 2:44 the inspection done on the restaurant so 2:46 we can 2:48 open Miss ruard told me that the case 2:50 has not become a distraction for city 2:52 government at least not so far as for 2:54 the mayor he says he will answer 2:56 reporters questions here tomorrow live 2:59 tonight at Hall and J Burke at channnel
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