Feds misunderstand the law, Mayor Adams claims as he tries to toss bribery rap in historic corruption case

Lawyers for Eric Adams claimed Friday that Manhattan federal prosecutors “misunderstand” the law and are using a “jerry-rigged bribery theory” to charge the mayor– as they urged a judge to toss part of the historic corruption case against him.Defense attorney Alex Spiro argued that the feds have not shown Adams broke the law — even if it’s true that he scooped up $123,000 in free or discounted travel perks in exchange for allegedly pressuring the Fire Department to fast-track the opening of the Manhattan Turkish consulate building.“The government has alleged no facts beyond ordinary communications among officials about an important matter — a visit by the president of a country of over 80 million people,” Spiro wrote in a 16-page motion.“If this indictment suffices, prosecutors could virtually always circumvent the Supreme Court’s constitutionally based limits on bribery statutes by characterizing everyday activities as ‘pressure.'”The legal filing is a response to the feds’ motion last week blasting Adams’ claim that the luxury goodies showered on him by Turkish diplomats and businesspeople were “routine” perks for politicians.Adams’ attorneys are trying to get Manhattan federal court Judge Dale Ho to dismiss the count of “soliciting and accepting a bribe” — which is just one of the five charges Hizzoner faces in the first indictment ever filed against a sitting New York City mayor.The mayor is separately charged with wire fraud for allegedly funneling foreign contributions to his 2021 campaign through illegal city-based “straw donors” — allowing him to receive $10 million in public matching funds.He’s also accused of illegally asking for donations from foreign nationals.The judge has set a court date for next Friday, Nov.1, for both sides to argue about the bribery charge before he issues a ruling.The mayor’s lawyers separately urged the judge Friday to order a hearing to probe whether the feds in the S...