The Justice Department has asked federal prosecutors in Manhattan to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, after weeks of the mayor’s overtures to President Donald Trump and his clearing the way for the president’s anti-immigrant efforts in New York City.
Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove argued in a memo on Monday that Adams’ indictment in September was too close to the upcoming New York City mayoral primary in June and that the case restricted Adams from working with Trump to crack down on immigrants and fight crime.
Bove asked for the case to be dismissed without prejudice, which means the Justice Department could theoretically bring the charges again at a later date. Alex Spiro, Adams’ attorney, repeatedly dismissed that possibility on Wednesday, telling reporters, “There’s no reason to think a case built on this shaky foundation will ever be brought again by any office, ever.”
In his memo, Bove also echoed Adams’ baseless suggestion that the charges were retribution for the mayor’s criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis.
Adams was indicted in September on bribery and campaign finance offenses. The breadth of alleged wrongdoing in the indictment was staggering: Adams was accused of seeking out and accepting free flights, hotel rooms and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish nationals over several years, and in exchange pushed through the opening of a Turkish consular building in New York without a fire inspection. Adams and his staff allegedly took pains to hide their conduct from investigators, according to the indictment.
Adams had pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied all wrongdoing.
In recent weeks, Adams, a Democrat, has been seen circling around Trump in what some of his critics have called a blatant pursuit of a pardon — an accusation that the mayor denied. Adams visited him in Florida days before the Republican was sworn in for his second presidential term. Adams also attended Trump’s inauguration, provoking even more criticism.
Adams has also urged top New York City officials not to criticize Trump or interfere with federal immigration enforcement, The City reported, setting off concerns about his yielding to Trump. Adams celebrated the DOJ’s push to dismiss his case in a news conference on Tuesday, insisting on his innocence and calling the case “an unnecessary ordeal.” “Now, we can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of our city,” he said, thanking the Justice Department. “It’s time to move forward.” CORRECTION (Feb. 12, 2025, 11:05 a.m. ET): An earlier version of this piece incorrectly stated the status of New York City Eric Adam’s case. The Justice Department has asked federal prosecutors to drop the case, but prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will do so.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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