Opinion: CFB should not give another dime to Adams campaign

New York City has been a national leader in campaign finance reform for decades. We can proudly boast the largest public matching funds program in the country, which creates a more equitable landscape for candidates from all backgrounds to run for office.

In 2021, New York City distributed $127 million in matching funds to a record 308 candidates – an indication that this program is working, making it more possible for more New Yorkers to throw their hat in the ring. But with increased public investment comes a serious and urgent obligation to ensure that funds are not used improperly. 

The indictment against Mayor Eric Adams reveals an alleged pattern of illegal campaign finance practices and a stunning disregard for our campaign finance laws. All told, the mayor’s 2021 campaign received $10 million dollars in taxpayer funds, despite apparently orchestrating a sweeping conspiracy to raise illegal contributions in flagrant disregard of campaign finance laws. 

In particular, the indictment details several straw donor schemes in which the 2021 campaign allegedly assisted foreign donors and business people in funneling donations through U.S. residents to fraudulently secure more public matching funds. This highlights a broader issue with our campaign finance structure: the existence of loopholes that allow for foreign campaign funds to influence our elections. There is currently a bill before the City Council that aims to address this by closing these gaps, ensuring foreign funds cannot be used to circumvent campaign finance laws.

In November 2018, Adams allegedly directed a staffer to obtain illegal contributions offered by a businessman, a known Turkish national. The Adams campaign allegedly assisted the businessman in funneling contributions through U.S.-based employees, ultimately resulting in multiple fraudulent donations. 

And it doesn’t end there. The indictment alleges that additional straw donor schemes were in progress and were only paused when the federal investigation into Adams became public. Days after he was sworn into office, the mayor allegedly began organizing similar straw donor plans for his 2025 reelection campaign. At a Jan. 11, 2022 meeting, as the new mayor of New York City, Adams is quoted in the indictment stating he could collect more foreign contributions in the future.  

Prosecutors also found that the campaign staged a fake event with foreign nationals just last year. In advance of the event, a foreign national sent cash to an Adams staffer, who then distributed $2,100 to at least three straw donors who subsequently contributed the funds to the campaign.  

There is clear and far-reaching evidence of a pattern of unethical and illegal behavior that has continued well into the mayor’s reelection campaign. 

These issues are sadly not surprising. Over the course of the 2021 campaign, the Campaign Finance Board sent Adams over a dozen requests for more information about questionable donations and intermediaries. The campaign never responded to any questions about suspected intermediaries. In fact, the campaign still hasn’t responded – recently requesting another extension to their final response to the audit. In light of the indictment and the serious flags raised in the audit, the mayor’s non-responsiveness to the Campaign Finance Board demonstrates clearly that his reelection campaign should not be eligible to receive public matching funds until these issues are resolved.

New York City’s Matching Funds program has been the gold standard – and our campaign finance laws and regulations lay out clear prerequisites for receiving public funds. To be eligible for matching funds, candidates are required by the Campaign Finance Act to provide the CFB with any information requested relating to campaign contributions, and the CFB rules empower the board to withhold funds from campaigns that fail to respond to requests for information. If the CFB fails to act, it risks jeopardizing the reputation and credibility of our matching funds program and deepening public mistrust in government. 

As City Council members committed to good government principles, we believe it’s critical that the CFB take action to protect the integrity of this system. If the CFB chooses to distribute millions of dollars in new taxpayer dollars to a campaign that has stonewalled their requests for information, it will send a deeply troubling message to future candidates that there is no accountability for ignoring the rules. 

The New York City Campaign Finance Board should not give another dime to Adams’ reelection campaign.