New York City Mayor Eric Adams committed to releasing his taxes and blamed his widely reported refusal to do so on the “arrogance” of a reporter who asked the question earlier this month.
“I pay a lot of taxes, and New Yorkers are going to see I paid a lot of taxes,” Adams said during a public taping of former U.S. Attorney for Manhattan Preet Bharara’s podcast at the Cooper Union in Manhattan on Tuesday.
When questioned by Bharara, Adams faulted an unnamed reporter for
“When you arrogantly come to me — because you’re not going to disrespect me — and ask a question like I’ve got to answer you yes or no, you know what you’re going to get? You’re going to get a no,” Adams said.
In an hourlong interview with Bharara, Adams touted his work shutting down homeless encampments, defended his tough on crime approach to petty theft and assured New Yorkers he would follow through on commitments to solve rampant problems at the Rikers Island prison. He also laughed off Bharara’s question about whether he’d run for President like his predecessors.
Adams earlier promised to release “tax information,” but hasn’t provided a timeline. His tax returns became a subject of debate during his campaign for mayor last year after reports in
The subject resurfaced earlier this month after Adams requested an extension to file his tax returns until October.
While the disclosure of tax details is not required by law, the last five mayors in New York City have released at least portions of their returns. That includes Adams’s predecessor Bill de Blasio, as well as Ed Koch, David Dinkins, Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.
