New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams has come under fire after he lashed out at incoming City Council members who sent him a letter this week asking him to reverse his support of solitary confinement in prisons. Last week, Adams said he would bring solitary punishment back to Rikers Island. The practice is widely considered to be torture, including by the United Nations. This is Eric Adams speaking Tuesday.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams: “I wore a bulletproof vest for 22 years and protected the people of this city. And when you do that, then you have the right to question me on safety and public safety matters. I think I know a little something about this.”

Adams also accused the City Council members of being “disruptive” and said he would ignore them.