Mayor Adams retains private lawyer, defends staffer amid FBI probe

Mayor Eric Adams has hired a private law firm as the FBI continues its investigation into his campaign fundraising — and the firm, WilmerHale, has already begun communicating with the federal authorities, the mayor said Wednesday.

The news comes less than a week after the FBI raided the home of 25-year-old campaign staffer Brianna Suggs, and as federal authorities investigate ties among Adams’ mayoral campaign, the Turkish government and Turkish nationals, according to a federal warrant obtained by the New York Times.

Adams again defended Suggs, his key fundraiser, after saying last week that she would stay on his campaign.

“I’m really proud of her, and I’m sure she is going to get through this because she followed the rules,” he said.

Adams, who is up for re-election in two years, faces multiple investigations into his campaign fundraising. Last week he was headed to Washington, D.C., where he planned to advocate for more federal assistance with New York City’s ongoing migrant crisis, but abruptly turned around after learning that FBI agents had raided Suggs’ home.

In addition to the federal probe, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced months ago it would investigate allegations that six donors used Adams’ previous mayoral campaign to make concealed donations for political influence.

Neither the mayor nor Suggs have been accused of any crimes.

WilmerHale describes itself as an international law firm, with more than a thousand attorneys at a dozen offices throughout the world. Roughly 200 lawyers are employed at its NYC practice at 7 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.

The firm is no stranger to Adams: His former chief counsel, Brendan McGuire, spent five years at WilmerHale before joining the Adams administration in 2021. McGuire departed Adams' office in August and returned to WilmerHale, where he represents a range of industries in white-collar criminal defense and internal investigations, according to the firm’s site.

WilmerHale did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Gothamist.

On Wednesday, Adams defended his sudden departure from the nation’s capital last week, saying he was “concerned” about Suggs.

“I had a 25-year-old staffer that I saw grow up as an intern have a traumatizing experience in life,” he said. “There was a professional part of maintaining my staff and my city. But I think sometimes we miss the fact that there’s a human element to life.”

Adams provided more insight into his working relationship with Suggs, which began when she was a 17-year-old intern for the former Brooklyn borough president. Suggs filled in an important void, Adams said, because “African Americans normally don’t get to play on a national scale as fundraisers, as speechwriters. People of color just don’t get those opportunities.”

He described Suggs as a “brilliant young lady” who is “ hardworking and willing to work as many hours as possible.”

The mayor revealed he caught wind of the FBI raid into Suggs’ home from a member of his campaign team, but did not specify who told him. He said he did not contact Suggs that day because he did not want to appear as if he was interfering with the investigation.

Adams' allies, including state Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who chairs the Brooklyn Democratic Party, have suggested the mayor, who is Black, is being targeted by authorities because of his race, but Adams declined to speculate when asked about it on Wednesday.

“History has a way of revealing all things, but I can’t speculate,” he said. “If I start speculating on why things happen, I just won’t be able to do the challenge of being mayor of the city during these extraordinary times.”