Lawyers for Mr. Adams had argued that the prosecution’s case fell short of meeting the federal definition of bribery. They pointed to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that raised the bar for prosecutors to bring corruption cases. Legal experts who reviewed the indictment against Mr. Adams have said that the ruling could present a challenge for prosecutors. He discounted the defense’s argument that because Mr. Adams was Brooklyn borough president when he reached out to the fire commissioner about the consulate building that the act could not be described as bribery. Mr. Scotten noted that the outreach occurred in late summer of 2021, after Mr. Adams had won the Democratic mayoral primary and was all but certain to be New York City’s next mayor.

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Persons: Adams, Hagan Cordell Scotten, Ho, Scotten, New York City’s Organizations: Mr, Supreme, Fire Department, Turkish, Democratic Locations: U.S, Manhattan, Brooklyn, New York