The Eric Adams Case Is About More Than Public Corruption

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A Paradigm Shift From Public Corruption To … What Exactly?

By now you’ve seen the broad outlines of the indictment of NYC Mayor Eric Adams. Five counts – conspiracy, wire fraud, solicitation of a campaign contribution by a foreign national, and bribery – of being a sloppy, brazen idiot.

It’s our usual practice to exalt in the buffoonery, slapstick comedy, and hilarious self-incrimination of corrupt elected officials. We’ll do a little of that in a moment.

But I want to place this in a different bucket than the usual run-of-the-mill public corruption case. It belongs instead to a new breed of criminal prosecutions targeting the foreign corruption of U.S. elected officials, elections, and the political system as a whole. It’s a new class of cases that combines what we think of as traditional public corruption with a national security and foreign policy component.

While the Justice Department has been arguably slow in responding to the threats posed by Donald Trump that culminated in the Jan. 6 attack, federal law enforcement has been focused, swift, and arguably relentless in targeting malign efforts by foreign governments and interests in corrupting our domestic politics for their own ends.

Whether it’s Russian ongoing efforts to destabilize the U.S. political system, Egyptian efforts to compromise Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), or the multiple cases involving officials and business interests from our NATO ally Turkey, the pattern of quick DOJ intervention suggests this is among the highest federal law enforcement priorities. The Adams prosecution falls squarely in the recent spate of Turkey-related cases.

DOJ has used a mix of anti-public-corruption laws and the Foreign Agents Registration Act to combat these perverse outside influences. It seems especially focused on moving rapidly in the periods before elections when the potential damage of corrupt influence is greatest.

So while the allegations against Adams are especially ridiculous in the particulars, the trend of which he is a part is a relatively new and different phenomenon that’s only come into sharper focus in the past decade.

Always With The Buffoonery

No matter which bucket you’re talking about – public corruption, foreign influence, kleptocratic excesses – the pure absurdity, utter recklessness, and cartoonish criming seems to remain entirely intact and undiluted.

Spot-On Analysis (Stringer Bell Weeps)

Every other exchange is like: "Hello, I would like to do the crimes!" "Yes, let us discuss the crimes to do." "Let us also conspire to take steps to conceal the crimes, since we are both cognizant they are crimes." "Yes, we must conspire, they are crimes after all" pic.twitter.com/ISjMHKfDBj

— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) September 26, 2024

Quite A Day For Purported Crime-Fighting NYC Mayors

Rudy Giuliani officially disbarred in Washington D.C. for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election on behalf of Donald Trump.

The Long Tail Of Trump Accountability

• Jack Smith filed his extensive briefing and offer of evidence in the Trump Jan. 6 case in an effort to overcome the presidential immunity bestowed by the Supreme Court, but the filing remains under seal.
• Massive civil fraud verdict against Trump gets frosty reception at New York appeals court.

Smartmatic Settles Defamation Case Against Newsmax

The settlement arising from Newsmax’s false claims about the 2020 election came as jury selection was beginning in Delaware. The terms of the confidential settlement were not disclosed.

Election Security Watch

• TPM’s Khaya Himmelman: Safeguards Will Prevent Georgia Board From Blocking Certification Indefinitely. But Delays Could Still Wreak Havoc
• Christian Science Monitor’s Cameron Joseph interviews Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger about the Georgia Election Board “destroying voter confidence.”

On The Trail

• Donald Trump said he would meet Friday morning at Trump Tower with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, their first meeting since 2019.
• Later Friday, Trump is in Warren, Michigan, for a town hall event focused on the auto industry.
• Kamala Harris visits the U.S.-Mexico border In Arizona.

By The Numbers: Swing States Edition

ARIZONA

• Trump leads Harris 48%-42% among likely voters, according to the latest USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll.
• Trump leads Harris 51%-48% among likely voters, according to the latest Fox News poll.
• Harris leads Trump 50%-47% among likely voters, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.

GEORGIA

• Harris leads Trump 51%-48% among likely voters, according to the latest Fox News poll.
• Harris and Trump are tied at 49% among likely voters, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.

MICHIGAN

Harris leads Trump 50%-47% among likely voters, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.

NEVADA

Harris leads Trump 52%-45% among likely voters, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.

NORTH CAROLINA

Harris leads Trump 50%-48% among likely voters, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.

PENNSYLVANIA

Harris leads Trump 51%-46% among likely voters, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.

WISCONSIN

Harris leads Trump 51%-48% among likely voters, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.

Breaking News In Iranian Hack Of Trump Campaign

• ABC News: “Federal law enforcement officials plan to announce criminal charges Friday in connection with the alleged Iranian hack of emails from members of former President Donald Trump’s campaign, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.”
• Politico: “A grand jury has indicted multiple Iranians on charges related to hacking Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.”

2024 Ephemera

• Democrats are hedging their bets on their Senate majority by making late – perhaps desperate – plays in the closer-than-expected races to unseat Ted Cruz (TX), Rick Scott (FL), and Deb Fischer (NE).
• Never-Trump Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) remains reluctant to endorse Kamala Harris because (i) he wants “to preserve his ability to rebuild the Republican Party in a post-Trump world”; and (ii) has concerns about his own family’s safety, the WaPo reports.
• David Dayen on Kamala Harris’ manufacturing agenda.

Playing The Long Game

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a bill to expand the Supreme Court by six justices over 12 years, among other reform measures.

Every Last Bit Of This

Quote Of The Day

A Matt Gaetz word salad, offered in defiant response to inquiries by the House Ethics Committee into allegations of drug use and underage sex:

I have not used drugs which are illegal, absent some law allowing use in a jurisdiction of the United States. I have not used “illicit” drugs, which I consider to be drugs unlawful for medical or over-the-counter use everywhere in the United States.

‘Many Things Keep Happening’

To end a week where we needed some grounding, pause for a moment and listen to the Kentucky patois of Robert Penn Warren: “The mayor / Has been, clearly, remiss, and the city / Was totally unprepared for such a crisis.”

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