Restler calls for return of Adams’ funds

September 27, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — CITY COUNCILMEMBER LINCOLN Restler (D-33) on Thursday joined the chorus of voices speaking out against Mayor Adams in the wake of the mayor’s Wednesday night indictment over an alleged scheme to take bribes from the Turkish government. The allegations made by the federal Department of Justice include an accusation that Adams’ campaign illegitimately used donations made by Turkish nationals to claim matching funds for his 2021 and 2025 mayoral runs.

Restler on X posted a letter to the city’s Campaign Finance Board citing the indictment and urged the board to both halt the release of matching funds for 2025 and claw back any illegitimate donations from the $10 million released to Adams in 2021.

The city allows candidates for public office to claim up to $2,000 per individual donor in matching funds, which can help grassroots candidates to more fairly compete with others. Adams is accused of orchestrating a scheme in which large donations were funneled through multiple fake or “straw” donors, allowing him to claim far more in funding per donor than he would otherwise have been entitled to.

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