New York City Mayor Eric Adams has hired top-notch defense attorneys on the taxpayer’s dime to fend off multiple investigations and lawsuits.
Adams is facing a lawsuit for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in 1993 while as a police officer, and he is being investigated by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York regarding his campaign’s alleged ties to the Turkish government.
So far, Adams has hired a team from the law firm WilmerHale. The firm, which is representing Adams in the investigation involving the Turkish government’s connection to his campaign, has already been paid $730,000 by the mayor’s legal defense fund. In addition, Adams is eyeing to hire Randy Mastro as the city’s corporation counsel, which would earn Mastro $250,000 a year. However, that is if the city council nominates and confirms him for the position.
Attorney Alex Spiro, known for his high-profile clients, including Elon Musk, Jay-Z, and Alec Baldwin, was hired by the city to represent Adams in the sexual assault lawsuit. The city will be paying Spiro $250 an hour. According to Adams and his legal team, hiring outside legal representation frees up city lawyers to focus on matters such as cases related to the migrant crisis.
However, some question whether it’s appropriate for taxpayer dollars to cover the mayor’s legal expenses, especially regarding his sexual assault case.
Basil Smikle, director of the Public Policy Program at Hunter College, questioned if the investigation and lawsuit would distract Adams from being able to fulfill his duties as mayor.
“If you need this much firepower, how problematic are these cases and how much is that going to distract you from governance?” Smikle told the New York Times.
However, Adams is not the first New York official to have his legal troubles covered by taxpayers.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio cost the city more than $10 million for taxpayer-funded defense lawyers in the face of a federal investigation, and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo cost the city at least $20 million in legal fees regarding several sexual harassment investigations.
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So far, the mayor’s legal defense fund has raised $1 million from donors.
The city will also be covering the legal bills of Timothy Pearson, an aide to the mayor, over accusations in a lawsuit of sexually harassing a police sergeant.
