New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Monday went after his city’s current mayor, Eric Adams, and a recently reported incident involving a chip bag and a longtime Adams adviser.
“We are speaking about allegations that none of us would have entertained as possible or plausible, that cash would be stuffed in an envelope within a bag of chips given to a reporter. Even when I say it, it sounds ludicrous, and yet, this is what Mayor Adams’s administration has brought,” Mamdani said at a press conference Tuesday
“And you know, I’ve been asked time and time again, who is my number one opponent in this race? Who am I most fearful of? And frankly, it is the despair and the disaffection that New Yorkers hold for politics that I am running against,” he added. “And it is one that I do not blame them for, because if you were to see this each and every day, why would you believe in the promise of local government?”
Mamdani is running against Adams and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a heated race for New York City mayor, with both Adams and Cuomo running as independents despite identifying as Democrats in the past.
Last Wednesday, local outlet THE CITY reported that in the wake of a Harlem campaign event, an Adams aide involved with his campaign had tried to hand off money to one of its reporters.
The money was from Winnie Greco, who has long been associated with Adams, and came via a red envelope featuring cash in a bag of potato chips, The CITY reported. Adams’s campaign spokesperson, Todd Shapiro, said later there had been a suspension of Greco from the campaign, according to the outlet.
“We are shocked by these reports,” Shapiro said, according to THE CITY. “Winnie Grecco [sic] holds no position in this campaign and has been suspended from all VOLUNTEER campaign-related activities.”
Steven Brill, an attorney for Greco, said that the handing of money over to the reporter was not done with any bad intent, THE CITY reported
“I can see how this looks strange,” Brill said, according to the outlet. “But I assure you that Winnie’s intent was purely innocent. In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude.”
The Hill has reached out to Adams’s campaign and Brill for comment.
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