Adams’ Turkey Travels Under FBI Scrutiny in Campaign Finance Probe: Unanswered Questions Linger

Federal investigators are probing Mayor Adams’ 2021 campaign and its ties to Turkey, including his frequent travel to the country. The reason for the federal interest in these trips is not clear. However, it has been reported that the Brooklyn borough president traveled to Turkey twice in 2015, and once in 2017, and with minimal detail shared. A more recent trip to Turkey in 2018, connected to his involvement with the “smart canes”, developed by the Young Guru Academy, has sparked federal interest. The mayor’s office declined to provide details on these trips, including the involvement of the MTA in testing the smart canes. Multiple requests have been submitted to Brooklyn Borough Hall regarding these trips, as well as donations received by the 2021 campaign that potentially have ties to the Turkish government. The federal probe also involves messages Adams sent to former FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro on behalf of Reyhan Özgür, Turkey’s consul general in New York, to help resolve fire safety issues around the construction of the Turkish Consulate. The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the federal probe.