NEW YORK — For Eric Adams, one unwritten perk of being mayor of New York City has been the chance to live out his boyhood \u201cdream of traveling the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n
He would hold onto that wanderlust through his federal indictment<\/a> \u2014 focused, in part, on allegations that he accepted improper travel benefits from foreign nationals \u2014 and a losing reelection campaign kneecapped by the scandal.<\/p>\n Now in the final month of his tenure, Adams is embracing his travel bug.<\/p>\n In recent weeks, the lame-duck Democrat has embarked on trips to Albania, Israel and Uzbekistan, drawing allegations of mayoral senioritis from some critics. He set off again Wednesday, flying to New Orleans to accept an award from the Combat Antisemitism Movement.<\/p>\n The same group honored Adams at a gala in Tel Aviv less than two weeks ago, which the mayor also attended.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Adams declined to share the cost of the trips, which are largely covered by city taxpayers. The tab typically includes hotel and flight accommodations for Adams, as well as his security and aides.<\/p>\n \u201cOn these official trips, Mayor Adams has been able to discuss bringing more innovation and jobs to the five boroughs, met with other governmental leaders from around the nation and across the globe, visited religious sites of different faiths, and more,\u201d said Fabien Levy, a deputy mayor for communications, who joined the mayor on his trip to Israel and was with him Wednesday in New Orleans.<\/p>\n Adams\u2019 critics, meanwhile, accuse him of dodging his government responsibilities while abusing publicly funded travel opportunities as he hunts for his next job.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s chosen to lean into the notion the people have that the city is kind of secondary to what\u2019s best for him at any moment in time,\u201d said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, adding that it\u2019s been \u201chard to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Adams, for his part, has not denied that he is considering job offers overseas, cryptically telling reporters in October that \u201cmany people want me to do things in other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n A self-described \u201cglobal leader,\u201d Adams has long been unapologetic about his desire to see the world beyond New York. Before becoming mayor, he used his perch as Brooklyn’s borough president to execute \u201csister city\u201d agreements in several countries, allowing him to make official visits to China, Senegal and Turkey.<\/p>\n In his first few years at City Hall, he headlined an event on antisemitism in Greece, attended the World Cup in Qatar and traveled through Mexico, Ecuador and Columbia urging migrants not to cross the border.<\/p>\n Even while in New York, Adams could often be found raising the flag of another country, or telling foreign leaders that he planned to grow old in their cities (among his stated retirement destinations: Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights).<\/p>\n It was his frequent travels to Turkey that drew the attention of federal authorities. In an indictment unveiled last year, prosecutors said Adams had accepted free or steeply discounted flights from Turkish officials seeking to buy his influence.<\/p>\n Adams denied wrongdoing and the charges were ultimately dropped at President Donald Trump’s urging. But the scandal cratered his approval ratings and, he claimed, prevented him from competing in the Democratic primary.<\/p>\n