On the eve of a historic presidential election that’s being painted by the Democratic Party as a battle for the soul of the nation, Mayor Adams Monday encouraged New Yorkers to vote and said he is limited in what he can say about the race by legal concerns.
Adams has upset fellow Democrats over the past few weeks by declining to disavow former President Donald Trump’s sympathetic comments toward him in light of his indictment on federal corruption charges. He’s also said it’s wrong to call the GOP nominee a fascist, a position that runs counter to arguments being made by the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Asked Monday if he had been campaigning for Harris or other candidates, Adams replied that he was “always doing something to move this city forward.”
In response to a separate question of whether he had any last-minute message to rally voters in support of Harris, the mayor gave a short answer:
“Get out the vote.”
“I made clear who I endorsed, and who I endorsed is who I’m voting for,” the mayor said on his plans for tomorrow, though he did not mention Harris by name. The mayor attended the Democratic National Convention and endorsed Harris in July.
Adams explained his comments Monday, saying his lawyers told him he can’t do much campaigning for the Democratic nominee and that he is being as outspoken as he can be in support of her.
“I don’t know how much more enthusiasm you need from me,” Adams said at his weekly press briefing, seeming exasperated. The mayor said he avoids “electioneering from the podium,” because of advice he received from his lawyers.
“My legal team said, ‘Eric, here’s what you do and you can’t do,’” Adams said. “And I have to make sure I do it correctly. So you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”
A spokesman for the mayor did not clarify what legal guidance the mayor was referring to.
In August, then-chief-counsel Lisa Zornberg chided reporters for asking the mayor about the presidential campaign.
“It’s an inappropriate question for this forum,” Zornberg said at the time. “And what I’m saying is based on advice that we have been given and guidance from the Conflicts of Interest Board, it’s about anything that’s purely about someone else’s campaign.”
Zornberg, who resigned two weeks before the mayor was indicted, cited later in a statement a COIB rule that prohibits elected officials from using taxpayer resources to benefit political campaigns.
Adams’ messaging leading up to the election has run counter to most Democrats. While most have leaned into the idea that Tuesday’s election is a high-stakes battle with the future of the nation at stake, Adams has called for the temperature of the election to be taken down a notch.
Trump has twice come to the defense of the mayor in recent weeks, with Trump telling the mayor earlier this month at the Al Smith dinner they both “were persecuted” by Biden’s Justice Department but that he’s confident he would “win.”
Adams has pleaded not guilty to charges he abused his position of power to solicit and receive illegal straw campaign donations from Turkish nationals in exchange for favors and influence.
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