New York mayor's ex-top fundraiser Brianna Suggs assigned to paperwork in wake of FBI raid
The former chief fundraiser for Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign has been assigned a job focusing on paperwork since the feds raided her home as part of a probe into his campaign finances, the mayor revealed in a new interview.
Adams previously said the staffer, Brianna Suggs, was no longer raising money for him but shied away from sharing details on her exact role.
“She’s going to do — there’s so much administrative paperwork, documentation,” the mayor told PIX11 in an interview aired Sunday.
“All of that documentation, she knows it well and she’s going to be part of that processing,” he added.
Suggs recently hired her own lawyer as Manhattan federal investigators probe allegations the Turkish government funneled illegal foreign money into Adams’ 2021 campaign through straw donors.
Suggs appears not to have a new title on Adams’ staff yet.
“We will come up with the official title and roll that out,” the mayor said.
He remained on the defensive over the probe, in which the feds seized his electronic devices days after executing a search warrant on Suggs’ home. He’s not been accused of wrongdoing.
Asked if he’d welcome a subpoena, Adams sounded an incredulous note.
“Who welcomes a subpoena?” he said with a laugh. “You don’t wake up everyday and say, I hope I get a subpoena, no. What my job must be is to cooperate.”
The investigation has sparked a firestorm of speculation about whether Democrats from lefties to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo will challenge Adams in 2025.
The incumbent laughed off the prospect of a primary opponent.
“I want to continue to do the job until the job is done. I don’t quit in anything I do,” he said.
Asked if he’d resign if he’s ultimately indicted, Adams rejected the notion.
“I think it’s ridiculous for somebody to say, ‘If there’s an indictment.’ People are throwing these words out there,” Adams said. “Let the process (play) out.”
As Adams raises funds for his legal defense and 2023 winds down, the mayor indicated he’s focused on the defining themes of his administration so far.
“To continue to lean into public safety, that is, to me, is crucial,” he said. “Number two, turning around this migrant crisis. That’s important.”
The City Council has been pushing back against the mayor’s proposed midyear budget cuts, which he’s blamed on costs stemming from the huge influx of migrants to the city.
Adams suggested there could be more cuts to come as the feds show no sign of helping pay for the new arrivals.
“We’re going to have to see, how do we deliver services through our agencies without the resources we normally have?” he said.
In terms of future cuts, “everything is on the table,” he said, “but we want to minimize the impact to low-income New Yorkers.”
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