New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for reelection, reportedly hired a campaign consultant who was previously accused of strangling a woman in 2024.
Trent Pool, the campaign consultant, was charged with strangling and assaulting a woman in a Manhattan hotel on April 27, 2024, according to the outlet. Pool was reportedly facing charges when the mayor first started paying his firm.
A New York Police Department spokesperson told the Daily Caller that a man identified as Pool became involved in a “verbal dispute” with a female complainant in April 2024. The woman alleged that the man “wrapped his hand around her neck making it hard for her to breath and then struck her in the face with a closed fist, causing pain.”
Authorities arrested and charged Pool with assault and criminal obstruction of breathing, the spokesperson said. He pleaded not guilty to the allegations, the Gothamist reported.
Adams campaign spokesperson Jeff Cohen told the Gothamist on Wednesday that the campaign has since ended all business with Pool’s firm.
“Mayor Adams has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to allegations of any assault charges. The campaign immediately terminated all work with Trent Pool upon learning of any charges against him,” Cohen said.
Pool’s lawyer, Thomas Kenniff, gave a statement to the outlet. “Mr. Pool vehemently denies these accusations and we are confident he will be exonerated of any wrongdoing,” he wrote via email.
Adams has paid $175,000 to Public Appeal, Pool’s firm, since April to assist with collecting petitions for Adams to run as an independent in November’s mayoral election, according to city campaign finance information reviewed by the outlet. (RELATED: New York City Mayor Eric Adams Seeks Early Trial To Clear Deck For Re-Election Campaign)
Third party or independent candidates often employ Pool’s firm when running for office, the outlet reported.
Pool previously worked as a campaign consultant for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign, according to Mediaite. Pool was helping to get Kennedy on the ballot throughout all 50 states. The Kennedy campaign addressed the matter in a statement.
“Trent is a contractor. He tells us that the alleged incident never occurred,” the campaign told Mediate.
