New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been charged in a federal court in Manhattan with multiple criminal charges, according to US media.

The indictment, with details of the charges, remains under wraps for now. Media reports say Adams, a Democrat, could appear in court as early as Thursday.

In a speech recorded at his official residence, Adams said he would remain in office, describing any charges he might face as “completely false, based on lies.”

Adams is the first mayor in New York City history to be indicted while in office

What did Eric Adams say?

“I always knew that if I took a stand in front of all of you, I would be a target and a target I became,” Adams said. “I will fight these injustices with all my might and all my spirit.”

“If I am charged, I know I am innocent. I will demand an immediate trial so New Yorkers can hear the truth,” Adams said.

A number of officials, including US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have called for Adams’ resignation.

“I fail to see how Mayor Adams can continue to govern New York City,” Ocasio-Cortez, a New York congresswoman who represents parts of the city, said in a post on X.

The Adams administration was already reeling from a series of high-level firings amid at least four ongoing federal investigations.

The charges against Adams follow an FBI investigation last November and a series of firings of top city officials in recent weeks as multiple federal corruption investigations entangle his administration.

mfi/rm (AP, Reuters)