The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan has unveiled an indictment against Mayor Eric Adams alleging that he took illegal campaign contributions and bribes from foreign nationals in exchange for favors that included helping Turkish officials get fire safety approvals for a new diplomatic building in the city.

But despite calls for his resignation, Adams is not disqualified from holding onto power in City Hall. Under the principle that Americans in a court of law are innocent until proven guilty, a mayor under indictment can choose to continue in office.

But if Adams thinks he can no longer effectively govern, two things can happen.

First, the mayor can step down.

At a press conference Thursday, Adams did not indicate that he would leave office, saying his administration was "not surprised" by the turn of events.

"We expected this. This is not surprising to us at all. The actions that have unfolded over the last 10 months, the leaks and commentary, the demonizing, this did not surprise us that we reached this day. And I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments," Adams said.

While New York doesn’t have a recall mechanism like in California to remove unpopular officials, there is a path where the governor can remove a mayor from office, according to the New York City Charter, which says, “the mayor may be removed from office by the governor upon charges.”It would be up to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s discretion to do so.

That power was nearly used in 1932 when then-Gov. Franklin Delano Roosevelt called for a hearing into the flagrant corruption of Mayor Jimmy Walker, who resigned after it became clear there was enough evidence to force his resignation.

If Hochul chose that route, she would first suspend Adams for up to 30 days.

She would have to give him and his lawyers a chance to make an argument in his defense, but once that happens she could make the removal permanent.

Who would become mayor next?

New York mayors have no running mate. Their deputy mayors are not elected. Under the City Charter, the Public Advocate, currently Jumaane Williams, would take over as acting mayor and a special election would be scheduled.

If Williams can’t or won’t take the job, then it’s offered to the only other citywide elected official, who is currently Comptroller Brad Lander.

Speaking to reporters at an unrelated press conference in Syracuse Thursday, Hochul described the unsealing of the indictment as "a very serious matter that is unfolding."

"As the governor of the state of New York, I have a unique responsibility here to make sure I do right by all people in this great state. And I also represent 8.3 million New Yorkers. When they elected me to be their governor, I became the governor of this entire state including all the residents of New York City, and I want them to know this: I will be deliberative, I will be thoughtful, but we're going to come to the right resolution on what to do in this moment," she said.

"I want to reassure them that this is important to me, it's important to them, but their best interests are what drives me every single day," she added. "And as I said my first day in office, I will fight like hell for them, to make sure that we can lift them up, make them feel safe in their streets, give their families new opportunities, and continue representing them to the very best of my ability, and that is my statement today."