August 21, 2025 • 8 mins
Katie Honan joins Mendte in the Morning to talk about an advisor for Eric Adams handing her an envelope full of cash following an interview.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now a woman who is at the center of
one of the most bizarre stories of the day. Katie Honen,
his reporter for the City and she is co host
of FAQ NYC podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Am I saying that right? Katie? I want to make
sure I get that right. FAQ NYC podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Yeah, that's correct.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Okay, Yeah, where do you find that?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
You could find it on anywhere you find your podcast, Spotify, Apple,
We also have it on the City down.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Oh, that's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Let's talk about what's happened to you.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
You were handed a well, you tell the story.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Tell us exactly what happened and and why you're at
the kind of at the center of the attention right now.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I really a reporter never wants to be at the center.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I understand that writing it.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
But yesterday I attended a campaign office opening for Mayor
Eric Adams, part of his re election bid up in Harlem,
and I saw, as I do at every campaign event
I've been to for Eric Adams, I saw Winnie Greco,
a former city Hall aid for him, but clearly some
and he's still very close to him in the context
of his campaign. Winnie Greco, who we at the City
have written extensively about her. Homes were rated by the
(01:07):
FBI almost two years ago. She seemed to have been
involved in what appeared to be straw donations. She was
the Mayor's Asian Affair liaison and worked with him since
she was the borough president of Brooklyn. So I saw her,
and as I do at all these events, I chatted
with her before because of any reporter would tell you, look,
I want people to talk to me and I would
(01:29):
love if she would talk to me about her time
with Eric Adams than anything else she may know. So
I saw her, she said, oh, we'll talk later. I
saw her following event across the street. We'd exchange numbers
at a previous event, although we hadn't texted before yesterday
beyond me just telling her, you know, this is me
and my number, she told me to give her a call.
I called her. She told me to meet her across
the street. We went into a whole food that was
(01:51):
next to a TV bank and she immediately gives me
a bag of chips and I sort of no, no, no,
I'm good, I don't know, I'm okay. Three times at
least she said no, you know, no, Themanajanum you know,
I just held on to them. She insisted. We had
our conversation where she just talked about how she didn't
do anything wrong and she wanted everything to be done
with and that kind of thing, and then we parted.
(02:14):
She brought up the chips again. I said, no, you
should take them, You should take them. She no, no, no,
take them. I step outside right to the train, right
on the corner, and right at the foot of the
subway was when I looked in the bag for the
first time. And that's when I saw this red envelope,
and for a second I did recognize it. But for
a second I thought it was, you know, a piece
of information, or you should look into this person. But
(02:36):
as soon as I saw it was money, I just
panicked and immediately called my editor. He didn't pick up
right away. I called Winnie, and I said, I can't
accept this at all. Are you still in the whole food?
They need to get this back to She wasn't. And then,
you know, once my editors got involved, I just went
down to our newsroom and they handled it from there.
Because I don't know what her intent was, and I
(02:58):
don't know why she gave me what she gave me.
But at this point it's it's sort of not up
to me to interpret her intent because she shouldn't have
done that.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Well, she says, she says, it's a mistake, right, and
she said and through her lawyer, she said, it's just
a cultural thing. It wasn't meant as a bribe, it
wasn't meant as a payoff. It was just a gift
to you. And I guess my question is are you
too that close that she'd be giving a gift to you?
And has she giving you a gift before?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
No, I've never received the gift. She has said previously
that she wanted to be friends again, that's you know,
for me, that's people talking to me is good for me.
But she's never given me a gift. I've been never
met up with her one on one and we don't
have that type of relationship. And if she wanted it
(03:47):
to be that way, again, I don't. It's my friends
don't give me money. So that was it was an
odd situation and experience to be in. But I, you know,
I do understand culturally that is part of it. But
at the same time, she was employee for two years
and they all have at least two years, and they
have extensive ethics training, and I believe they probably frown
(04:10):
upon putting money in a bag of potato case what's
labor it is?
Speaker 2 (04:15):
How much money was it?
Speaker 3 (04:17):
I don't know. I looked at it. I don't know
how much it was. It was at least one one
hundred dollars bill and a lot of twenties, but I
was both nervous to count it on the street or
in the subway. And then once our editors learned of it,
they told me not to touch it further, so I didn't.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
That's interesting, no fingerprintcess, I don't I don't get that.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Why can't you touch it?
Speaker 3 (04:39):
After that, I think it was I think it was
just more of a let's just get this bag out
of our possession and we'll notify the entities that are,
you know. The longer I had to travel from one
twenty fifth to Wall Street with it on the three train,
which made me very nervous, just I was afraid I
would drop it or something.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
It is amazing that that happened.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I don't know how I would react if I were
to look in a bag and see that You're right, though,
the the initial interpretation of that is this is odd.
I'm being bribed and I don't want to be a
part of this, and to get it out of your
hands as quickly as possible.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
What was the very first thing that went through your head?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
It was it was my day because I had a
lot of others stuff I have to do that I'm
doing this morning right to make up for it. We
put out a summer newsletter every Thursday and then I
have to finish that. So God, I just, oh God,
that you know this is that? That's it.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
I love it. You're so honest about this.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Yeah, even the sigh was it was very honest. This
is the strangest race. I've been in news a whole
a lot of years, and this is the strangest race
I've ever seen. This event that happened with Andrew over
the weekend. He's too good of a politician to make
(06:05):
a mistake like that where he admitted to the phone
call with Donald Trump. I can't get over that. I
can't explain it, can you.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
It's very confusing, And you're right, this is a very
odd election because we generally in New York City, by
the time the primary is over, the race is pretty
much set at least it has been over the last
twenty years, and dealing, you know, seeing this that you
have Andrew Cuomo who lost in June, and not by
(06:37):
a little bit but by thirteen points, and then him
continuing to run after thinking about it for some time
and sort of changing his approach to campaigning, but not fully,
you know, and it's very confusing. And I think to understand,
you know, he wants to I guess rule moderate voters.
You have obviously Republicans voting in the general who could
(07:00):
vote for him that they you know, couldn't in the primary.
But Donald Trump is deeply unpopular here in New York City,
even amongst Republicans. You know, the Republican candidate Curtis Lewa,
he doesn't get along with President Trump. And I do
think what I heard the clip of Curtis earlier on
the show saying, he really does seem to offer two sides.
(07:21):
It's one story in the Hampton and it's another story
in New York City. And I think voters whether or
not this new or slightly improved or different Andrew Cuomo
will change voter's mind, I don't know. And because again
Trump is really unpopular. And Andrew Clomo admitting to wealthy donors
(07:42):
in the Hampton's Again, the optics of it. Both Andrew
Clomo and Eric Adams are in the Hampton's as ute
for fundraisers. While I understand you need to raise money
from wealthy people, and in August, that's where the wealthy
people are in a race that I think is defined
a lot by affordability and people yearning for or just
a change because they realized, you know, New York City
(08:03):
is just so deeply unaffordable. The optics of two candidates
who are running on independent line being in the Hampton's
courting voter wealthy voter, some of whom aren't even registered
to vote here in New York City, Andrew Cuomo's appealing
to them to register to vote New York City. I
don't know how that will play to the larger electorate.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Yeah, it's gonna be fun to watch, but it is
bizarre so far, just like you getting a potato chip
bag full of cash. Katie Hone and reporter for the
City and co host of FAQ NYC podcast. Katie, thanks
so much, good to talk to you.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Thanks, thank you two. Thanks so much,
And now a woman who is at the center of
one of the most bizarre stories of the day. Katie Honen,
his reporter for the City and she is co host
of FAQ NYC podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Am I saying that right? Katie? I want to make
sure I get that right. FAQ NYC podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Yeah, that's correct.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Okay, Yeah, where do you find that?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
You could find it on anywhere you find your podcast, Spotify, Apple,
We also have it on the City down.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Oh, that's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Let's talk about what's happened to you.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
You were handed a well, you tell the story.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Tell us exactly what happened and and why you're at
the kind of at the center of the attention right now.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I really a reporter never wants to be at the center.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I understand that writing it.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
But yesterday I attended a campaign office opening for Mayor
Eric Adams, part of his re election bid up in Harlem,
and I saw, as I do at every campaign event
I've been to for Eric Adams, I saw Winnie Greco,
a former city Hall aid for him, but clearly some
and he's still very close to him in the context
of his campaign. Winnie Greco, who we at the City
have written extensively about her. Homes were rated by the
(01:07):
FBI almost two years ago. She seemed to have been
involved in what appeared to be straw donations. She was
the Mayor's Asian Affair liaison and worked with him since
she was the borough president of Brooklyn. So I saw her,
and as I do at all these events, I chatted
with her before because of any reporter would tell you, look,
I want people to talk to me and I would
(01:29):
love if she would talk to me about her time
with Eric Adams than anything else she may know. So
I saw her, she said, oh, we'll talk later. I
saw her following event across the street. We'd exchange numbers
at a previous event, although we hadn't texted before yesterday
beyond me just telling her, you know, this is me
and my number, she told me to give her a call.
I called her. She told me to meet her across
the street. We went into a whole food that was
(01:51):
next to a TV bank and she immediately gives me
a bag of chips and I sort of no, no, no,
I'm good, I don't know, I'm okay. Three times at
least she said no, you know, no, Themanajanum you know,
I just held on to them. She insisted. We had
our conversation where she just talked about how she didn't
do anything wrong and she wanted everything to be done
with and that kind of thing, and then we parted.
(02:14):
She brought up the chips again. I said, no, you
should take them, You should take them. She no, no, no,
take them. I step outside right to the train, right
on the corner, and right at the foot of the
subway was when I looked in the bag for the
first time. And that's when I saw this red envelope,
and for a second I did recognize it. But for
a second I thought it was, you know, a piece
of information, or you should look into this person. But
(02:36):
as soon as I saw it was money, I just
panicked and immediately called my editor. He didn't pick up
right away. I called Winnie, and I said, I can't
accept this at all. Are you still in the whole food?
They need to get this back to She wasn't. And then,
you know, once my editors got involved, I just went
down to our newsroom and they handled it from there.
Because I don't know what her intent was, and I
(02:58):
don't know why she gave me what she gave me.
But at this point it's it's sort of not up
to me to interpret her intent because she shouldn't have
done that.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Well, she says, she says, it's a mistake, right, and
she said and through her lawyer, she said, it's just
a cultural thing. It wasn't meant as a bribe, it
wasn't meant as a payoff. It was just a gift
to you. And I guess my question is are you
too that close that she'd be giving a gift to you?
And has she giving you a gift before?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
No, I've never received the gift. She has said previously
that she wanted to be friends again, that's you know,
for me, that's people talking to me is good for me.
But she's never given me a gift. I've been never
met up with her one on one and we don't
have that type of relationship. And if she wanted it
(03:47):
to be that way, again, I don't. It's my friends
don't give me money. So that was it was an
odd situation and experience to be in. But I, you know,
I do understand culturally that is part of it. But
at the same time, she was employee for two years
and they all have at least two years, and they
have extensive ethics training, and I believe they probably frown
(04:10):
upon putting money in a bag of potato case what's
labor it is?
Speaker 2 (04:15):
How much money was it?
Speaker 3 (04:17):
I don't know. I looked at it. I don't know
how much it was. It was at least one one
hundred dollars bill and a lot of twenties, but I
was both nervous to count it on the street or
in the subway. And then once our editors learned of it,
they told me not to touch it further, so I didn't.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
That's interesting, no fingerprintcess, I don't I don't get that.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Why can't you touch it?
Speaker 3 (04:39):
After that, I think it was I think it was
just more of a let's just get this bag out
of our possession and we'll notify the entities that are,
you know. The longer I had to travel from one
twenty fifth to Wall Street with it on the three train,
which made me very nervous, just I was afraid I
would drop it or something.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
It is amazing that that happened.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I don't know how I would react if I were
to look in a bag and see that You're right, though,
the the initial interpretation of that is this is odd.
I'm being bribed and I don't want to be a
part of this, and to get it out of your
hands as quickly as possible.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
What was the very first thing that went through your head?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
It was it was my day because I had a
lot of others stuff I have to do that I'm
doing this morning right to make up for it. We
put out a summer newsletter every Thursday and then I
have to finish that. So God, I just, oh God,
that you know this is that? That's it.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
I love it. You're so honest about this.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Yeah, even the sigh was it was very honest. This
is the strangest race. I've been in news a whole
a lot of years, and this is the strangest race
I've ever seen. This event that happened with Andrew over
the weekend. He's too good of a politician to make
(06:05):
a mistake like that where he admitted to the phone
call with Donald Trump. I can't get over that. I
can't explain it, can you.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
It's very confusing, And you're right, this is a very
odd election because we generally in New York City, by
the time the primary is over, the race is pretty
much set at least it has been over the last
twenty years, and dealing, you know, seeing this that you
have Andrew Cuomo who lost in June, and not by
(06:37):
a little bit but by thirteen points, and then him
continuing to run after thinking about it for some time
and sort of changing his approach to campaigning, but not fully,
you know, and it's very confusing. And I think to understand,
you know, he wants to I guess rule moderate voters.
You have obviously Republicans voting in the general who could
(07:00):
vote for him that they you know, couldn't in the primary.
But Donald Trump is deeply unpopular here in New York City,
even amongst Republicans. You know, the Republican candidate Curtis Lewa,
he doesn't get along with President Trump. And I do
think what I heard the clip of Curtis earlier on
the show saying, he really does seem to offer two sides.
(07:21):
It's one story in the Hampton and it's another story
in New York City. And I think voters whether or
not this new or slightly improved or different Andrew Cuomo
will change voter's mind, I don't know. And because again
Trump is really unpopular. And Andrew Clomo admitting to wealthy donors
(07:42):
in the Hampton's Again, the optics of it. Both Andrew
Clomo and Eric Adams are in the Hampton's as ute
for fundraisers. While I understand you need to raise money
from wealthy people, and in August, that's where the wealthy
people are in a race that I think is defined
a lot by affordability and people yearning for or just
a change because they realized, you know, New York City
(08:03):
is just so deeply unaffordable. The optics of two candidates
who are running on independent line being in the Hampton's
courting voter wealthy voter, some of whom aren't even registered
to vote here in New York City, Andrew Cuomo's appealing
to them to register to vote New York City. I
don't know how that will play to the larger electorate.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Yeah, it's gonna be fun to watch, but it is
bizarre so far, just like you getting a potato chip
bag full of cash. Katie Hone and reporter for the
City and co host of FAQ NYC podcast. Katie, thanks
so much, good to talk to you.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Thanks, thank you two. Thanks so much,
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