Adams Does Victory Lap As Trump DOJ Moves To Dismiss Corruption Case

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday said a demand by the U.S. Department of Justice to make Manhattan federal prosecutors drop corruption charges against him proves his innocence, insisting that he “never broke the law” and vowing to regain the trust of the city. 

In a six-minute livestreamed statement that did not allow for questions from the media, the mayor never mentioned President Donald Trump, despite a memo from the DOJ’s second-in-command ordering federal prosecutors to drop his five-count indictment, citing the mayor’s role in helping Trump’s mass deportation plan. 

Adams also claimed his “unnecessary ordeal” was over, even though the move still requires a review and approval from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. 

“I thank the Justice Department for its honesty,” he said from behind a podium inside the Blue Room at City Hall, which reporters were barred from entering.

“Now we can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of this city.”

The request from the DOJ doesn’t get Adams completely off the hook, however. The ask was for federal prosecutors to drop the charges “without prejudice” — which means the charges could be refiled in the future.

And the memo, sent Monday, also doesn’t deny or even address charges against Adams, which former Manhattan U.S. attorney Damian Williams filed in September after securing a grand jury indictment. In fact, the memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove asking to drop the case states that DOJ officials did not review the evidence against Adams before issuing the unusual request.

Instead, Bove asserts that the trial, set to start April 21, has “unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration.” 

During a closed-door meeting hours before the DOJ memo surfaced late Monday, Adams told his top commissioners to avoid criticizing Trump or interfering with immigration enforcement officers.

Adams did not mention immigration enforcement during his speech Tuesday, although he did quote the Bible, reciting Psalms 34:1: “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

The mayor was indicted by a federal grand jury in September on one count of bribery and four counts of campaign finance fraud on charges he gave favorable treatment to campaign donors connected to the Turkish government. In exchange, he allegedly received travel upgrades, free hotel stays and other perks estimated at more than $120,000. 

He is also accused of soliciting and accepting illegal straw donations, including some from foreign sources, and his campaign submitted some for public matching dollars, according to the indictment.

As Adams arrived at City Hall for his speech, his security team locked the back door to prevent reporters from speaking to him. Asked when Adams might take questions from reporters, his spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus simply said, “Watch the speech.” 

As he ended his remarks, the mayor went through a list of his administration’s successes and blasted the media reporting what he called a “false narrative.” 

“Hidden beneath all the shocking headlines, all the rumors and false allegations, all the innuendos and insinuations, the real news is that the women and men of my administration have delivered for the working people of New York, just like I promised we would,” he said. “Those are facts.” 

Meanwhile, at a separate press conference Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would not use her power to remove the mayor. She said she expected Adams to focus on governing and be a partner in pursuit of common goals.

“It is my hope that after, you know, this issue, there’s more attention now back on the minutia of running the city,” she said. 

She emphasized that Adams should be doubling down on regaining New Yorkers’ trust.

“I encourage the mayor to examine all of his actions and know that he’s going to be under a spotlight, to make sure that people have confidence that there has been no reason why he would not take a certain action,” she said. “He has to demonstrate to New Yorkers that he’s putting them first above all, and that includes in his relationships at the White House.”

Adams’ reprieve got a more forceful reaction from the influential Rev. Al Sharpton, who on Tuesday said “it certainly sounds like President Trump is holding the mayor hostage.

“That is simply not fair to the city of New York. I have spoken to several elected officials and clergy, whom I convened early in the mayor’s term, to meet between now and the weekend to decide where we will go,” he said in an emailed statement. “Because we have clearly crossed the Rubicon.”

But Adams could count one supporter of a push to drop charges beyond himself: his predecessor, former mayor Bill de Blasio, who during an MSNBC appearance on Tuesday said the charges were “flimsy.”

“I actually think the charges were not strong enough,” he said. “They were affecting the democratic process in New York City.”

Adams faces a primary re-election in June and then a general election in November — which is when Bove, who sent Monday’s memo, said the dismissal of charges could be reviewed again. 

When Adams’ legal troubles began in the fall, Hochul exerted influence to give the boot to problematic figures in his administration, including replacing then-police commissioner Edward Caban. 

Hochul said she would continue monitoring the city government.

“The mayor needs to stay focused on public safety in the city, making sure our streets are safe, making sure our streets are clean, making sure that people feel confident that this city is continuing to head in the right direction,” she said. “That has to be his laser focus, and I’m going to make sure that that continues to be the focus, because it has to be what we’re all working toward to protect New Yorkers.”

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who is next in line to become mayor if anything causes Adams to leave office before November, blasted the DOJ move and all but called for a resignation.

“The mayor is simply lying to New Yorkers — the good news is, he’s never given them a reason to believe him before, so I hope they don’t start now,” Williams said in a statement after Adams’ speech.

“I would call for the mayor to resign, but that would mean him putting the interests of the city first,” he added. “At this point it is beyond clear that he can’t or doesn’t care enough to, and that should anger every New Yorker.”