The town Marketing campaign Finance Board on Wednesday once more denied Mayor Adams greater than $3 million in public matching funds for his reelection effort — and laid out two model new causes to justify the motion.
Going into Wednesday’s board assembly, Adams’ staff was bullish he’d lastly get matching funds after having been disadvantaged of them since December 2024 resulting from his federal corruption indictment and his marketing campaign’s lack of responses to the CFB’s long-running requests for lacking documentation.
However CFB Chairman Frederick Schaffer stated on the morning assembly that Adams nonetheless gained’t get any matching money as a result of the responses his marketing campaign has now offered aren’t adequate and the board remains to be assured he “has violated the law.”
“With respect to the failure to provide requested information, the board finds the campaign has provided incomplete, and misleading information to the CFB, and has impeded the CFB staff’s ability to complete its investigation,” Schaffer stated.
“With respect to the second ground, the board’s conclusion is based upon its review of all of the available evidence, including, but not limited to, its own independent investigation. The board’s investigation of the Adams campaign is ongoing.”
The money is important as Adams mounts an unbiased run amid a crowded area.
Todd Shapiro, Adams’ reelection marketing campaign spokesman, excoriated the board’s newest causes for denial as “vague and unsubstantiated.” He additionally stated the mayor’s staff is “reviewing all legal options, including formal action to compel the release of public matching funds.”
“Mayor Adams has always run campaigns with the highest standards of integrity, transparency and adherence to the law — spanning nearly 40 years of public service and political leadership,” Shapiro stated. “At no point has this campaign attempted to mislead, withhold, or obstruct the work of the CFB. In fact our team has cooperated fully, responding in good faith to every request and submitted the required documentation in a timely manner.”
Schaffer didn’t elaborate on what made the Adams marketing campaign’s responses inadequate or share extra particulars concerning the perception that he broke the legislation.
Adams was charged in his federal indictment with marketing campaign finance fraud, together with allegations of taking unlawful contributions from Turkish nationals that have been used to leverage matching funds. In transferring to dismiss the indictment, President Trump’s DOJ stated that call was not based mostly on he deserves of the case.
Previous to the assembly, Frank Carone, Adams’ marketing campaign chairman, had stated he was assured there was not “anything anywhere” that ought to stop the CFB from issuing a payout to the mayor.
Carone pinned that optimism on two latest developments: Adams’ staff earlier this month lastly responded to the board’s documentation requests and a federal decide dominated in July that his indictment might not be grounds for denial, provided that it was dismissed by President Trump’s Justice Division, albeit as a part of a extremely controversial association.
Carone has beforehand stated the marketing campaign would solely present the CFB with documentation that isn’t topic to a federal protecting order that continues to be energetic in Adams’ corruption case regardless of the dismissal.
Initially Printed: August 6, 2025 at 8:32 AM EDT
