John Jefferson
Not even Donald Trump could summon a frenzied crowd outside of the federal courthouse in New York City like Eric Adams did Friday when the mayor pleaded not guilty to the five criminal charges he’s facing.
A sea of broadcast cameras, lighting equipment and reporters filled the sidewalk Friday morning in front of the courthouse. They also packed the area across the street – it was more than the amount present at Trump’s defamation trial with E. Jean Carroll in January.
During the Trump case, the sidewalk across the street was filled with members of the media during that trial and even on the busiest day – verdict day – the sidewalk directly in front of the building was still navigable. New Yorkers did not seem to care to show up to see the action unfold outside of the federal building. Granted, it was freezing at the time. But even those who wandered by refused to stop to snap a photo or ask questions.
Not today.
On Friday, runners who, seemingly unintentionally, ran into the crowd stopped their jog to whip out their phones and record the action. Police barricades, holding back New Yorkers who turned up to see their mayor arraigned, stretched up and down the street.
No, the mayor’s 8:45 a.m. arrival time for a noon arraignment was still not early enough to avoid the craze around his criminal allegations.
He is, after all, the talk of the town – not that he minds.
Adams seems completely unfazed by the mass attention. He rolled with Friday afternoon’s court proceedings as if it were an everyday occurrence, albeit an inconvenient one.
Sporting a typical white button-down and dark suit jacket, he arrived early at the courthouse, and subsequently, the courtroom. Something the former president never did.
By the time the general press and spectators were permitted in the courtroom, Adams had been seated with his one lawyer for at least 30 minutes. It was so unspectacular it took multiple reporters several minutes to notice the mayor’s presence.
The courtroom filled up quickly, mostly with law clerks and attorneys who work in the building. An extra row of plastic chairs was added behind the benches to accommodate the number of people in attendance.
A few lucky citizens got to see the historic arraignment from the benches, others were directed to watch from an overflow room on a different floor.
It was a noticeable contrast to the number of average Americans who attended Trump’s sexual abuse trial earlier this year. Despite that case involving a former president, only a few people – enough to count on one hand – showed up to see opening or closing arguments.
Though the overflow room for Trump’s case was almost always full, mostly with reporters.
Shortly after noon, Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker entered the courtroom to begin the arraignment. She spent several minutes reading Adams his Miranda rights and then summarizing the allegations and charges laid out in the indictment that accuses Adams of corruption before, during and after his 2021 mayoral campaign.
That includes allegedly accepting free or heavily discounted luxury travel, accommodations and other perks from Turkish officials and then wielding his power as mayor to circumvent an FDNY fire inspection on the Turkey consulate.
In all, the five counts: bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, are punishable by up to 45 years in prison.
Yet Adams seemed fairly relaxed at the list of allegations. He kept a straight face and stared forward – refusing to even look in the direction of the press seated in the jury box to his right.
“I am not guilty, your honor,” the mayor pleaded.
It was expected that Adams would plead not guilty, he has vehemently denied all allegations of wrongdoing in multiple mediums. He proclaimed innocence in an official statement, in a pre-recorded video and at a chaotic press conference on Thursday.
He’s certain he has not committed any crimes. His lawyer, Alex Spiro, informed Judge Parker they plan to file a motion to dismiss the indictment next week.
Adams is permitted to be released while awaiting trial. It would probably be a bit of work to run the city from one of its jails.
The conditions of his release are that he may not contact witnesses or the unnamed individuals in the indictment about the charges or facts of the case. Federal prosecutors said they would give Adams’ lawyer a list of those people and determine how to best approach this since some of those people may be staffers or family that Adams interacts with daily.
Approximately 25 minutes after Judge Parker entered the courtroom, and three-and-a-half hours after Adams arrived at the courthouse, the arraignment was over.
taining his straight face, Adams exited the courtroom escorted by a group of US Marshalls. Outside the courthouse, New Yorkers and members of the media piled against the barricades, determined to get a photo of the mayor after his first court appearance.
A lone New Yorker shouted words of affirmation at Adams as he exited the building.
The mayor stood stoically beside Spiro for a brief press conference where his lawyer told reporters the case “isn’t even a real case.”
As he entered a black SUV, the mayor flashed his signature “thumbs up” to the press while taining a straight face.
Adams, the first New York City mayor to face federal criminal charges in modern history, went about his day on Friday – attending an afternoon meeting with his advisory committee on the judiciary and left the circus he created behind.
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