MSNBC: Eric Adams Aide Handed a CITY Reporter Cash Stuffed in a Bag of Potato Chips

TRANSCRIPT:

KAY: "This week, a close ally to Mayor Eric Adams was suspended from Adams' reelection campaign after she tried to hand a journalist money that was inside a bag of potato chips. Winnie Greco is the mayor’s former director of Asian affairs and a top Adams fundraiser. The news outlet THE CITY says Greco put more than $100 in a red envelope stashed inside a bag of chips -- I’m not making this up -- and handed it to one of its reporters. Greco later said she made a mistake, and her attorney said it was purely innocent and intended as a gesture of friendship and gratitude. So maybe not such a mistake. Now, The New York Times is revealing this was not an isolated incident. In July, New York Times reporters witnessed other Adams supporters handing out red envelopes with cash at three separate campaign events. At those events, Mr. Adams picked up support from leaders of influential Chinese community groups, including several with close ties to the Chinese government. The Times reports, at one of those events, an organizer, was seen holding $50 bills and handing out red envelopes to reporters from Chinese language news organizations. At the event, the organizers said that it is common practice in Chinese culture to give cash to reporters, YouTubers, photographers, as a thank-you-for-coming gift. Except this is in America, not in China. The Times also noted that Greco was at each of those events. Her homes were raided last year by federal investigators who were looking for evidence of Chinese interference in the 2021 mayor’s race. A spokesperson for Adams tells the Times the mayor has no knowledge of payments being made to reporters."