‘Tradition, not bribe’: New York mayor’s ex-aide defends giving reporter cash in chips bag
The incident, first reported by The City, said that Adams' advisor Winnie Greco pressed the bag into one of its reporters, Katie Honan’s hands following the opening of Adams’ campaign headquarters in Harlem.
New Delhi,August 21, 2025 07:44 PM IST
First published on: Aug 21, 2025 at 07:27 PM IST
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This image provided by Office of the New York Mayor shows New York Mayor Eric Adams as he speaks during an address from City Hall. (AP)
A former longtime adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who resigned last year while under FBI scrutiny, handed a reporter a potato chip bag stuffed with cash after a campaign event, Associated Press reported citing a local outlet.
The incident, first reported by The City, said that Adams’ advisor Winnie Greco pressed the bag into one of its reporters, Katie Honan’s hands following the opening of Adams’ campaign headquarters in Harlem. Inside was a red envelope holding a $100 bill and several $20 bills.
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Greco’s attorney, Steven Brill, insisted the gesture was not a bribe. “This was not a bag of cash,” Brill wrote in an email, according to the AP. “In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude. And that’s all that was done here. Winnie’s intention was born purely out of kindness.”
Asked why Greco offered the money specifically to Honan, Brill as per AP told: “She knows the reporter and is fond of her.”
Greco texted Honan to meet her inside a Whole Foods after they had both attended the launch of Adams’ campaign headquarters in Harlem, The City reported.
At first, Honan assumed Greco was simply offering her a snack when she handed over the chip bag and declined, but Greco insisted. Honan later discovered the cash inside, called Greco to say she could not accept it, and offered to return it. Greco suggested they meet again but then stopped responding, according to the report.
Later, Greco phoned The City and requested them not to publish the story, saying: “I try to be a good person,” the outlet reported. She later apologised too, saying she made “a mistake”.
“I’m so sorry. It’s a culture thing. I don’t know. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. I feel so bad right now.”
In response, Adams’ re-election campaign said Greco had been suspended from volunteer work and stressed that the mayor had no knowledge of her actions. “We are shocked by these reports,” campaign aide Todd Shapiro told AP. “Mayor Adams had no prior knowledge of this matter. He has always demanded the highest ethical and legal standards, and his sole focus remains on serving the people of New York City with integrity.”
Greco, a fundraiser from the Chinese American community, resigned as Adams’ director of Asian affairs in October 2024 after federal agents searched two of her properties. She has not been charged with a crime, but was among several close aides who left amid federal scrutiny of Adams’ administration.
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This image provided by Office of the New York Mayor shows New York Mayor Eric Adams as he speaks during an address from City Hall. (AP) 
