Eric Adams was questioned about how he became a police officer, the recent shooting in a Sunset Park subway station, and even his “swagger” as part of an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes that aired Sunday evening. The mayor also fielded more questions about a topic that won’t go away: his taxes.
During the one-on-one sit-down, Anderson Cooper said that Adams had “expressed some reluctance” about releasing his tax returns, a statement the mayor immediately pushed back on.
“There was no reluctance at all,” Adams said.
But the mayor has been cagey about his finances. In the past few weeks, he has repeatedly been asked whether he would make his tax returns public like many of his predecessors. Tax Day eventually came and went without a release from Adams, though he has expressed an openness to sharing the documents at a later date. When Cooper followed up to confirm that Adams intended to make the returns public, the mayor said that he would give out his “tax information.”
Adams emphasized to Cooper that he has complied with the requirements for elected officials set by the Conflicts of Interest Board and that mayors are not required to reveal their taxes.
“This is my right as a citizen to say, ‘I’m gonna let you know when I’m going to do it,’” Adams said. “I turned over my tax returns when I was running for office, three years. So, there’s no reason for me to do something different. But to take the atmosphere that I’m required, no, I’m not required to do that.”
Cooper asked Adams if he worried that his stance will make people wonder if there’s something in his taxes he didn’t want them to see.
“I am so proud of how much I pay in taxes for this city,” Adams said. “I contribute to the city. The city has done well for me and I contribute back to the city and I’m proud that I pay my taxes to the city.”
