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

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