Posted on 08/21/2025 12:09:19 PM PDT by Red Badger
We may have the funniest scandal of the year.
Winnie Greco, a “close advisor” to Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams, was “suspended from his re-election campaign on Wednesday after giving a journalist cash tucked inside a potato chip bag,” according to The New York Times.
It gets better.
The cash was allegedly tucked inside a red Chinese envelope and then hidden in an “opened bag of Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion ripple potato chips,” reports The City.
The reporter, Katie Honan, thought “it was an offer of a light snack,” and “told Greco more than once she could not accept the chips … Greco insisted that she keep them,” according to The City.
After leaving their meeting and discovering the cash, Honan reportedly texted Greco, “I can’t take this, when can I give it back to you?”
Greco did not respond, according to The City.
Greco’s not exactly denying the claims. Instead, Adams’ former Asian affairs adviser has a peculiar excuse for the alleged bribe.
“I make a mistake,” she told The City in an interview. “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. I’m so sorry, honey.”
Greco called later again to plead away the allegations, The City reports.
“Can we forget about this? I try to be a good person. Please. Please. Please don’t do in the news nothing about me.”
“I just wanted to be her friend,” Greco told the outlet. “I just wanted to have one good friend. It’s nothing.”
Well, that changes everything. This isn’t a corruption scandal. This is the persecution of an innocent Asian-American woman trying to make a friend, the Chinese way.
“I can see how this looks strange,” Greco’s attorney, Steven Brill, told The City. “But I assure you that [Greco’s] intent was purely innocent. In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude. [Greco] is apologetic and embarrassed by any negative impression or confusion this may have caused.”
Right, which is why she allegedly made that gesture using an empty potato chip bag. Credit to Brill for coming up with the only possible defense for a client who more or less admitted her guilt on the record.
Cultural appreciation aside, you’d think Greco might have learned a thing or two about America since her last corruption scandal.
Greco’s house was raided by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in February 2024 in connection with corruption allegations, sources told the New York Post.
The Adams administration paid — with taxpayer dollars — for the Wyndham Garden hotel to “shelter more than 100 formerly incarcerated New Yorkers integrating back into society,” according to The City. New York City’s shelter contracts with the hotel amounted to $6.2 million a year in income, according to the outlet.
Greco, too, was allegedly a beneficiary of this scheme.
The City claims Greco lived in one of those hotel rooms “for more than eight months.” That expense, charged to the city, likely came to $50,000 or more, according to the paper.
The FBI publishes a list of major corruption cases they’ve uncovered over the years. Some involve embezzlement. Others, money laundering. In former President Richard Nixon’s case, a bungled cover-up.
None carried out their crimes via potato chip bag.
Follow Natalie Sandoval on X: @NatSandovalDC
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No potato chips in the bag? I’d turn her in too.
Ok.
Brill the Shill floats back to the top of the commode, yet again.
Sour cream flavor just tastes to chemical-ly to me. Did a favor by throwing out the chips
In most third world and developing world countries, bribery is part of doing business. So yes, they do this in China. I’ve been there and heard first hand about it.
I get the impression their normal means of bribing are ‘unavailable’. They’ve been bribing and controlling (blackmailing) reporters for decades - even DEI hires would know not to do this. Either they were going to frame her or control her - but where are the deep state’s expert handlers? Did they used to use email but that was exposed and now they resort to chips and cookies or?
[snip] cash was allegedly tucked inside a red Chinese envelope and then hidden in an “opened bag of Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion ripple potato chips,” [/snip]
Chinese envelope? Oh, a Red Chinese envelope... ;^)
To borrow and adapt a bit of bon mot, Mayor Adams makes Jimmy Carter look like Cardinal Richelieu.
Betcha can’t bribe just one!
The Great Potato Chip Caper. There will be movies and books.
Tatergate!...................
Didn’t want to give ‘Dirty Money’...............
Good one
It's a cultural thing in the U.S. Just ask Al Gore and the Clintons.
“red chinese envelope”
I’d like to know more...
Yes. Chinese don’t make real friends, they have guanxi. That’s all that matters to almost all Chinese and how they measure success. It’s mainly based on corruption and favoritism. If you’re into Star Trek, they are the human version of Ferengi.
My guess is that most of the gang involved in government bribes are stupid goons, and I’m pretty sure there are a lot of them, so I bet plenty stupider has been perpetrated.
Ha ha!
Democratic that about covers it all.
A Chinese red envelope, known as hongbao in Mandarin and lai see in Cantonese, is a decorative red packet traditionally used to give money as a gift during special occasions such as Chinese New Year, weddings, and birthdays.
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