New York City Mayor Eric Adams is fighting back against the bribery charge in his federal indictment, filing a motion on Monday to have the charge thrown out. Adams' legal team argued that prosecutors have failed to present evidence that meets the high standard set by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

The motion comes shortly after Adams pled not guilty to five charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, bribery, and soliciting foreign donations.

Adams Asks To Toss Bribery Charge : Adams Points to Supreme Court Ruling

Adams’ legal team pointed to the Supreme Court's decision in Snyder v. U.S., which clarified the requirements for proving bribery under federal law. In Snyder, the justices ruled that gifts or rewards given after an official act don’t necessarily violate the law unless there is clear evidence of a quid pro quo arrangement.

Adams' filing emphasized that prosecutors have not shown any explicit agreement between the mayor and Turkish officials to exchange gifts for official actions. “The indictment does not allege any specific exchanges or conversations in which Adams and the Turkish official entered into this purported quid pro quo agreement,” said Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro.

Spiro further argued that if prosecutors had such evidence, they would have included it in the indictment.

Allegations of Official Favor for Turkish Consulate

Prosecutors claim that for nearly a decade, Adams solicited over $100,000 in bribes from Turkish officials and businesses. The alleged bribes included luxury airline upgrades and hotel stays in exchange for political favors, such as helping the Turkish Consulate open on time for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit.

However, Adams’ legal team dismissed this claim, arguing that the three messages Adams allegedly sent to facilitate the consulate opening were routine and do not amount to an official act of bribery. "These innocuous messages fall far short of the kind of 'official act' necessary for bribery," Spiro said.

Adams Asks To Toss Bribery Charge : Campaign Finance Allegations Not Challenged

While Adams seeks to dismiss the bribery charge, his filing did not request the court to drop the charges related to illegal campaign donations. Prosecutors accuse Adams of knowingly accepting campaign contributions from foreign nationals and corporations, which he allegedly funneled through "straw donors" to hide their origin.

The filing, however, hinted that Adams' legal team plans to challenge these allegations later, stating that the accusations stem from a “self-interested staffer with an axe to grind.”

Legal Representation

Adams is represented by high-profile attorneys Alex Spiro, William A. Burck, John F. Bash, and Avi Perry of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP. The government is represented by Hagan Scotten, Celia V. Cohen, Andrew Rohrbach, and Derek Wikstrom from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.