At multiple campaign rallies this summer, supporters of New York City Mayor Eric Adams were seen handing out red envelopes stuffed with cash—some to reporters from Chinese-language media outlets, according to firsthand reporting by The New York Times.

At one event, an Adams adviser attempted to give a reporter cash concealed in a potato chip bag. At others, supporters openly distributed envelopes containing $50 to $300, with one organizer telling reporters they “had to” give the money—“otherwise they don’t write their stories.”

This is not just a cultural misunderstanding. It is a serious breach of journalistic ethics, a potential violation of campaign finance laws, and a growing scandal tied to figures already under federal investigation for suspected foreign influence in the 2021 mayoral election.

We, the undersigned, are calling for:

The U.S. Department of Justice and New York City Department of Investigation to open a full and transparent investigation into these payments and their connection to the Adams campaign;

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) to examine whether these actions constitute in-kind campaign contributions or illegal coordination.

Whether these payments were made to influence coverage or merely “thank” attendees, they raise urgent questions about foreign influence, press freedom, and transparency in political campaigns.

We deserve to know:

Who funded the envelopes?
Who authorized or benefited from them?
And how deep the coordination goes.

Sign this petition to demand a full investigation into the red envelope cash payments linked to Mayor Eric Adams’s campaign. New York voters—and our democracy—deserve answers.