The Age of Accountability for Politicians
The Justice Department is doing its job in indicting NYC Mayor Eric Adams
I’m Isaac Saul, and I’m the executive editor at Tangle where I write an independent, nonpartisan, subscriber-supported politics newsletter that summarizes the best arguments from across the political spectrum on the news of the day — then “my take.” For more political analysis like this, subscribe to Tangle here!
On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that federal prosecutors had indicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) as part of a corruption investigation. The next day, prosecutors unveiled a five-count indictment against Adams, 64, charging him with bribery, conspiracy, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. Adams, who denies the charges and pled not guilty on Friday, is the first mayor of New York City to be charged with a federal crime while still in office.
Adam’s indictment as compared to Trump’s and Menendez’s
In the recent instances when a politician has been indicted, I’ve used this space to make a point about how damning the indictment appears. For instance, when Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was indicted, I said the filing looked incredibly bad. Prosecutors had an abundance of hard evidence: texts, fingerprints, gold bars, hidden cash, and more. Similarly, I thought the Justice Department had former President Trump dead to rights in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.
While Menendez was later found guilty on all counts, Trump’s case was thrown out by Judge Aileen Cannon, which Jack Smith appealed to the 11th Circuit Court, where it has been delayed and now won’t be heard until after the election. Which is just to say: Indictments alone do not equate to guilt; and even when the evidence seems strong, cases don’t always go how you think they will.
If I’m comparing Adams’s indictment to Menendez’s and Trump’s, I’d say that his indictment reads more like Menendez’s. Just as in that case, prosecutors detailed moments of comical corruption from Adams: an Adams staffer who voluntarily spoke to the FBI then left the meeting to “go to the bathroom,” where she tried to delete encrypted messaging apps she used to communicate with Adams. Texts of Adams staffers telling him to delete their messages, and him saying he always does. A staffer who thought a proposal to give illegal cash donations to Adams was so egregious he’d never agree to it, only to pass the idea along to Adams and find — to their surprise — he was totally game.
These are all allegations, of course, and they will need to be proven in court. But if I were a betting man, I’d bet that Adams did what is alleged here — and that the prosecution can prove it. And I’d bet a lot.
The response from other writers versus mine
More interesting to me than the indictment, though, was the response. While many Democrats who were suspicious of Adams from the start seemed unsurprised by the indictment, it was mostly conservatives who rushed to the Democratic mayor’s defense. Perhaps shaped by the prosecutions against Trump, a few prominent writers have either argued Adams is innocent until proven guilty or outright criticized an overzealous Justice Department.
My take is decidedly different: I think we are living in a very good era for accountability of corrupt politicians. Trump presents a divisive case, and he has not had his day in court; but leaving the former president aside completely, the list of politicians (and their families) who have been held accountable in the past few years is considerable:
Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, for corruption and bribery. Hunter Biden, the current president’s son, for tax evasion and gun charges. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and his wife, for bribery and money laundering. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), for sexual misconduct. Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), who is still being investigated for misuse of funds (and lost her primary in August). Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (D), on corruption charges. Tennessee Rep. Andrew Ogles (R), on campaign finance violations. And Rep. George Santos (R), for — well — wire fraud, conspiracy, false statements, falsification of records, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, misuse of public funds, and lying to FEC officials (he has also been unseated, pled guilty, and will be sentenced in February).
And now Adams.
I’m glad Adams has been indicted
That is five Democrats (plus the Democratic president’s son) and three Republicans who have been investigated by the Justice Department — all recently, all under a department being led by an attorney general who was appointed by a Democratic president. This is good. This is what we should be doing. Too many people in suits and ties think they can get away with organized crime, fleecing public funds, or blatant misconduct with no accountability. Everyone should want that era to end. I know I do.
So what do I think of the Adams indictment? I’m glad for it. Guilty or not, the evidence against him is compelling enough that it is deserving of an investigation, a trial, and an earnest prosecution. If he’s innocent, that will come out in court. We should be happy that people like him — people as powerful and well connected as the mayor of New York City — can’t engage in conversations about cash for favors without facing potential repercussions.
That’s the country I want to live in.
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