Lawyers for Mayor Eric Adams asked a federal judge on Monday to throw out the bribery charge against him, providing an early glimpse at how the defense plans to attack the first federal indictment of a sitting mayor in modern New York City history.
In a 25-page filing, Mr. Adams’s lawyers argued that the accusations against the mayor did not meet the federal definition of bribery, pointing to a recent Supreme Court ruling that raised the bar for prosecutors to bring corruption cases.
The filing comes four days after federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced a five-count indictment against the mayor, including charges of bribery and fraud.
Prosecutors said Mr. Adams accepted luxury travel benefits worth more than $100,000, as well as illegal campaign contributions from Turkey — and granted political favors to Turkish officials in exchange for these gifts.
The bribery charge against Mr. Adams focused on the approval of a new Turkish consulate building in Midtown Manhattan in 2021. At the time, Mr. Adams was Brooklyn borough president but had also won the Democratic mayoral primary, virtually guaranteeing that he would become the next mayor.
Prosecutors say Mr. Adams, at the behest of a Turkish official, pressured the Fire Department to allow the building to open, even though it would have failed a fire inspection. The skyscraper opened in time for a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
Lawyers for Mr. Adams wrote that Mr. Adams sent “three brief messages” to the Fire Department that did not “remotely convey pressure or threats.”
They argued that the prosecutors were criminalizing activity that was routine for elected officials, like helping donors with permits and other regulatory issues.