Is Adams corrupt,? Lining his pockets with fraudulent dollars and/or is US Attorney Damian Williams gaining notoriety and planning to run for public office, maybe NYS Attorney General?
Williams, with widespread publicity, has seized phones, searched residences of a host of Adam’s acolytes, they’ve fled, abandoning a sinking ship and grasping for lifeboats.
Adams has been charged with five felonies (read the charges in the indictment here), perhaps with more to come, rumors, dozens of others may be charged, will the flailing homeboys spill the beans, are there offshore bank accounts, or, is Williams building public support and hoping Adams resigns?
Adams can only be removed by the governor, with record low approval ratings is unlikely to remove Adams: remember the phrase, innocent until proven guilty.
What has received almost no mention is a unanimous US Supreme Court decision, McConnell v United States, former governor of Virginia was charged and convicted of similar acts, Chief Justice Roberts, writing for a unanimous court reversed the conviction. Read the decision here. The convictions, NYS Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver and Senate leader Joe Bruno, were overturned on appeal citing the McConnell precedent.
New Jersey Senator Menendez was convicted of bribery, he couldn’t explain a closet filled with gold bars and cash. Adams is accused of accepting upgrades on flights and hotel rooms and campaign contributions from non-citizens.
If a City Councilman asks the Department of Transportation to expedite filling a pothole and the constituent, without asking, contributes to the Councilmembers campaign is this a corrupt act or ordinary constituent services?
BTW, if a Supreme Court justice accepts fully paid vacations in classy resorts and votes favorably in cases benefiting the billionaire funding the vacation, is this a corrupt act?
If Adams is exonerated can he get elected to a second term? Unlikely, some tarnish is permanent.
A peripheral issue: mayoral control of schools no longer has any support, will the governor and the legislature support a change? Up to now the opposition to mayoral control have not agreed on the next governance structure.
Who is that person who began her career as an aggressive San Francisco District Attorney? Oh, the next President,
Ed in the Apple: Blogging on the Intersection of Education and Politics Title 