Adams tale has lesson that will likely be unheeded
By: Mike Lelly
Columnist
USA Today Network
..... On the same day in June 2021 when he won the first stage of the Democratic mayoral primary in New York City - and essentially assured himself of winning the election for that job in November [2021] one of Eric Adams' staffers sent a text message to a manager at Turkish Airlines. Adams wanted tot take a vacation. But he did not want to pay full price.
.....
What evolved in that initial message and a follow-up text has emerged as a central piece of evidence in the federal indictment of Adams, charing him with bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal campaign contributions. barring some sort of legal and political miracle, Adams promised political career is essentially over.
..... But this story extended far beyond Adams and his political future. Those text messages, which were detailed in a 57-page federal indictment that was unsealed last week, [10/01/2024]
illuminate a fare more consequential problem in American politics.
..... At the heart of each of those messages by the Adams staffer is a belief, embraced by far too many public officials, that there is nothing wrong with taking gifts. Ethics and conflicts of interest be damned. The operative martra for many in politics now is this" "if it's free, grab it while you can."
..... this was the dark narrative thread that wove through the recent federal trial in New York City in which another promising political figure Senator Bob Memendez, the New Jersey Democrat, was convicted of bribery and is now facing years in prison. It's also the ethical cancer at the rotting core of decisions by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito to accept free trips and other gifts - and thereby thrust the nation's highest court into a swamp of public distrust.
..... Looking ever farther back, this sense of entitlement was also the tragic character flaw that forced another New Jersey democratic senator Robert Torricelli, to leave his powerful post and ditch his won promising pathway to future political stardom.
..... Torricelli was brought down for arrogantly taking a laundry list of questionable freebies that included handmade suits, a rug a Rolex watch and jewelry for his girlfriend. He was forced to resign form the U.S. Senate in the final weeks of a reelection campaign after a Senate ethics committee admonished him and his previously solid support among New Jersey Democrats crumbled.
..... Those are just a few of the notable public figures who have succumbed to the temptation of taking gifts. I could list dozen more. in each case, however, a simple question frames their legacies and the ongoing mystery of their soiled reputations: Why didn't they say no?
A sad downfall for Adams
..... With Adams the downfall is especially sad.
..... Adams , now 64, grew u0p in the streets of New York City. and although he had run-ins with police as a teenager, he opted to join the New York Police Department. As one of the NYPD's most talented African American officers at the time, Adams increasingly saw himself as a reformer.
..... One of Adams' mentor was the Rev. Herbert Daughtry, who lives in the multicultural community of Teaneck, New Jersey, but led a politically influential Christina church in Brooklyn. Daughtry convinced Adams that he could change the Police Department's white-dominated culture form within.
..... In many ways, Adams set about doing just that. As an African American cop who understood the pressure for combating crime in an increasing racially tense political landscape in New York City, his voice was respected by police and elected officials alike.
.....
Politics soon beckoned. and once again, Adams found a path to success.
..... He won a seat in the New York State Senate, then the spot of Brooklyn borough president - then, in 2022, a term as the city's mayor.
.....
Adams was only the second African Ameican to win New York City's top job. In quick order, he was seen as a national star - a moderate and practical voice in a Democratic Party that seemed dominated by naive progressives. Adams was lauded across America as a Democrat who was not afraid to buck his party in raising concerns about the impact on his city of street crime, chronic homelessness and unchecked migration.
..... It's now worth reviewing Adams' success in law enforcement and politics in light of his knuckle-headed decision to accept illegal gifts. Why did he put his career on the line for a discounted trip - to Turkey, of all places? Was it greed? Stupidity? Arrogance?
..... Adams has pleaded not guilty. He vows to continue as mayor even though federal prosecutors on Wednesday [10/02/2024] hinted they may file more charges against him and others in his admin station. But even if he success in beating the charges his reputation will be tarnished forever because of his gift-taking habits, outlined word-for-word in his indictment, with a shockingly candid text from one of his staffers.
Why Turkey?
..... That the text message from this staffer to a Turkish airline manager came on the same day as the mayoral primary is just one of the bizarre puces of this puzzle. Didn't Adams and his staff have other concerns on their minds on June 22, 2021?
..... Apparently not.
..... "How much does he owe?" the staffer asked in the first text requesting airline tickets to Turkey.
..... "It's very expensive because it;s last minute," the airline manager responded, adding that he was "working on a discount."
..... "OK," the staffer answered.
..... The airline manager came back with an offer to charge Adams only $50 for the ticket. A this point, the staffer should have texted back that "Eric Adams will pay the full price - just like any other tourist."
..... But that didn't happen.
..... The staffer said to :quote a proper price.
..... "How much should I charge?" the airline manager asked, adding a ":)" notation as if he was smiling at this back-and-forth banter.
..... Again, the staffer had a chance to say: "The full price." but that did not happen. Instead, the staffer texted this about Adams: "His every step is being watched right now," adding that "$1,000 or so" might be there right price.
..... "Let it be somewhat real," the staffer texted. "We don't want the to say he is flying for free. At the moment, the media's attention is on Eric."
.....
Ah, yes, those nagging reporters. Adams ended up paying only $1,00 each fro round-trip economy tickets for him and what is described as "his partner." Turkish Airlines upgraded the tickets at no charge to business class - the top seating arrangement. Federal prosecutors say in the indictment that on the "open market" such tickets would have cost $15,000.
..... Note bad deal, huh? Well. Adams did not stop. He wanted even more discounts.
.....
The indictment charges that Adams directed his staffer to ask Turkish Airlines to arrange of a hotel.
..... "He is also thinking of where else they can go in Turkey," the staffer wrote in a text to the airline manager. "do you have a recommendation?"
..... "Four Seasons," the manger responded, citing a top-flight hotel.
....."Too expensive," the staffer texted back.
..... "Why does he care? He is not going to pay," the airline manger answered. "His name will not be on anything either."
..... "Super," the Adams staffer responded.
..... The airline manager not only arranged for Adams' stay at the Four Seasons in Istanbul. the indictment notes that the manager set up a "yacht tour, a three-day stay at a luxury beach resort, and a car and a drive,as well as a domestic flight between Istanbul and the resort."
..... The normal price for all this would be $8,500 or more," the indictment said. but the Turkish Airlines official charged Adams just $720.
.....
Adams approved the deal and even forked over some cash for the airline tickets. but five days later, he backed out of the trip. And even though he received a refund, federal prosecutors cite this text exchange as typifying Adams' approach to his life as a public official.
..... simply put: If he can get a discount or a freebie, he will take it. No concern about conflicts of interest. No worries about ethics. The gifts are there for the taking.
..... And now, federal; prosecutors say these gifts were part of a none-too-subtle effort by the Turkish government to gain favors form Adams.
..... In court, this is known as a bribe.
..... Like so many other public figures who had their hands out for freebies, Eric Adams doesn't see his real problem yet - namely, that his reputation will forever be in the gutter. he will always be known as the politician with his hand out for a gift. And no matter what happens with his legal case, his political legacy is now indelible. He's a grifter - a cheapskate.
..... He probably won't be the last. After all this is American politics. Money talks.