Eric Adams BACKS under fire chief fundraiser after FBI raid on her Brooklyn home saying ‘where there’s smoke there’s not always fire’ – as NYPD cops are seen conducting wellness check hours before search

Eric Adams defended his campaign fundraising chief on Friday following an FBI raid on her home, stating that sometimes there is “smoke without fire.”

The mayor of New York City was in Washington DC on Thursday morning when the FBI raided the home of 25-year-old Brianna Suggs. Adams cut short his trip to the White House and immediately returned to New York.

The FBI has seized phones, laptops and documents as part of their investigation into Adams’ 2021 campaign.

They are investigating whether he received illegal campaign contributions and whether kickbacks were given to Turkish government officials through a Brooklyn-based chokehold company, KSK Construction.

In a strange twist, it emerged on Friday that a benefits check had been requested for Suggs’ home on Wednesday evening – hours before the FBI raid.

The check was requested by an official from the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, who called the 77th Precinct headquarters in Brooklyn to request the visit. The messenger.

NYPD officers were seen driving down Suggs’ street at 7:45 p.m., photos obtained by the news site show.

The Internal Affairs Bureau asked officers to find out the names of everyone who lived in the house.

A man who arrived at the house said his daughter and his mother lived there.

Officers saw them enter the home and leave shortly afterwards.

A former federal law enforcement official told The Messenger that a welfare check for unknown residents was highly unusual, and suggested a leak about the investigation.

Another former federal official said, “It’s weird.”

Neither Adams nor Suggs have been charged with any wrongdoing, and Adams said Friday he was confident his team had acted within the law. He promised to fully cooperate with any investigation, but said he had not been contacted by police.

Adams said this on Friday Pix11 news that he was certain that no crime had been committed.

“Where there’s smoke, there’s not always fire,” he said.

“I make sure we have real compliance. I spend hundreds of thousands of dollars making sure this is done correctly.

“And we will comply with any authority that judges whatever we do.

“And if someone has done something inappropriate outside of our compliance procedures, law enforcement agencies will determine that.”

Adams said the case was “new and evolving” but insisted he and his team would “comply 100 percent.”

“I have not been contacted by any law enforcement agency and no law enforcement agency has determined that anyone associated with our campaign has done anything wrong,” the mayor added.

Adams said he had not had contact with Suggs since the raid, but that he had full confidence in her and hoped she would continue to work for his campaign.

“She’s a very bright, energetic, savvy young lady who has worked hard,” he said.

“She led the fundraising numbers when you look at the entire campaign.

“I have complete confidence in her integrity and how hard she has worked.

“Young African-American ladies often don’t get the opportunities that others get in politics, and she stood up.”

‘I grew from an intern to a good staff member and is responsible for our entire fundraising apparatus. And she stood up.’

He added: “She did a great job. She will stay with the campaign team and I would like her to stay with the campaign team.”

Adams insisted he was right to abandon his planned meeting at the White House to discuss migration — a meeting he had sought for months — to return to New York.

He told Pix11 that this was because he liked to be “on the ground,” adding, “That’s who I am.”

Adams, a former NYPD captain, denied that the omission of the migrant crisis meeting should worry New Yorkers, saying he was confident he was building “a coalition” of mayors to address the issue .

He said he planned to return to Washington DC to raise the issue again.

When asked if he was aware of KSK Construction, Adams replied, “Not that I know of.”

He added: “I can’t tell you how many thousands of people are contributing to our campaign.

“I attend so many different fundraisers and meet so many different people while fundraising.

‘I don’t know this organization at all. It is one of many different groups and organizations contributing to the campaign.

“And again, we have very strict compliance.

“Before a check is deposited, our compliance team reviews those checks to ensure it meets not only the CFB’s standards, but also my strict standards.”

The mayor also defended his ties with Turkey.

Last week, Adams boasted at a flag-raising ceremony in Manhattan that no other mayor had visited Turkey as often as he had.

Adams told Pix11 that this was due to “a fascination with the diversity of our city.”

“There has been no mayor in the number of African countries I have visited. And many other countries that I visited for the first time,” he said.

“I don’t know any other mayor who probably went to Saudi Arabia or Oman. Or has visited some of the South American and Central American countries I have visited.

‘It is a fascination for the diversity of our city.

“We have one of the largest Turkish populations in New York City. I think the only place higher than ours is Patterson, New Jersey.

“I had a deep relationship with the community when I was president of Brooklyn, as well as with other communities.

“I believe in the diversity of this city, and I think nothing does more to show respect than visiting the homelands of these communities.”

Adams said he had no business interests in Turkey but had met many mayors who wanted to “build a rich relationship with New York City.”

The 63-year-old laughed when asked if the FBI investigation distracted him from running the city.

“This is New York!” he said, chuckling.

‘How many times have you heard me say: stay focused and grind. There are things every day that can distract you.

“When you’re mayor of the city of New York, you have to stay focused and not get distracted by everything that comes at you.”