Brooklyn Borough President Returns Lavish Gifts from Turkish Consulate
Antonio Reynoso, the Brooklyn borough president, returned lavish gifts from the Turkish consulate amid warnings from the F.B.I. about officials representing certain foreign countries. The gifts and offers of free travel from Turkey raised concerns about potential corruption, following a federal indictment against Mayor Eric Adams. Reynoso's decision to return the gifts marks a shift away from the ceremonial flag-raisings and international relations activities favored by his predecessor.
When Antonio Reynoso succeeded Eric Adams as the borough president of Brooklyn, he followed Mr. Adams’s lead and began to engage in activities one might not normally associate with his local office: international relations.
Modest gifts had come in from foreign consulates: a bottle of wine, a bookmark. But then Turkish officials began to increase their generosity, offering junkets to Turkey and wanting Mr. Reynoso to raise their native country’s flag over Brooklyn Borough Hall.
Mr. Reynoso promptly returned ten gold-plated tea sets gifted by the Turkish consulate, following advice from counsel and a warning from the F.B.I. about interactions with officials representing specific foreign countries.
The gifts and offers from Turkey mirrored the pattern described in a federal indictment against former Brooklyn Borough President, Mayor Eric Adams, who faced charges of fraud, conspiracy, bribery, and soliciting campaign donations from the Turkish government.
After a meeting with the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs and learning that it was illegal to raise foreign flags at Borough Hall, Mr. Reynoso denied a request from the consulate of St. Lucia for a flag-raising event.
The shift in policy sparked conversations about the impact of foreign outreach on local government officials and raised questions about ethics and corruption in international relations.