DOJ orders prosecutors to drop charges against NYC Mayor Adams
Trump DoJ orders charges against Adams dismissed
The Department of Justice has ordered that bribery charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams be dismissed, citing concerns that the case was interfering with his role in helping President Trump crack down on illegal immigration. The case, which accused Adams of accepting illegal campaign contributions and luxury perks from Turkish nationals, was dropped without prejudice, meaning it could technically be revived after the mayoral election. FOX 5’s Linda Schmidt and Morgan McKay break down the Justice Department’s decision and what’s next for the mayor.
NEW YORK CITY - The Department of Justice has ordered federal prosecutors in Manhattan to drop the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, arguing in a remarkable departure from long-standing norms that the case was interfering with the mayor’s ability to aid the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
What we know:
In a two-page memo obtained by FOX 5, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove told prosecutors in New York that they were "directed to dismiss" the bribery charges against Adams immediately.
Bove said the order was not based on the strength of evidence in the case, but rather because it had been brought too close to Adams reelection campaign and was distracting from the mayor’s efforts to assist in the Trump administration’s law-and-order priorities.
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"The pending prosecution has unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime," Bove wrote.
The memo also ordered prosecutors in New York not to take "additional investigative steps" against the Democrat until after November's mayoral election, though it left open the possibility that charges could be refiled after that following a review.
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The intervention and reasoning — that a powerful defendant could be too occupied with official duties to face accountability for alleged crimes — marked an extraordinary deviation from long-standing Justice Department norms.
What they're saying:
"As I said from the outset, the mayor is innocent—and he would prevail. Today he has," said Alex Spiro, Mayor Adams' lawyer in a statement. "The Department of Justice has reevaluated this case and determined it should not go forward. There is good reason for that. The facts of the case are clear: the mayor never used his official position for personal benefit. Nor did he have any role in violating campaign finance laws. Despite a lot of fanfare and sensational claims, ultimately there was no evidence presented that he broke any laws, ever. The witnesses that were promised never materialized. The additional charges that were threatened never came. Now, thankfully, the mayor and New York can put this unfortunate and misguided prosecution behind them."
A spokesperson for the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, declined to comment. The case against Adams was brought under the previous U.S. attorney for the district, Damien Williams, who stepped down before Trump became president.
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Several of the mayor's opponents in the Democratic mayoral primary claimed Monday that Adams had agreed to do Trump’s bidding because he hoped for leniency.
"Instead of standing up for New Yorkers, Adams is standing up for precisely one person," said Brad Lander, the city’s comptroller and a mayoral challenger.
Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblymember who is also running for mayor, called for an investigation into whether Adams "cut any kind of deal with the Trump administration that involves breaking city law."
Timeline:
New York City Mayor Eric Adams addresses the possibility of protests this weekend over the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Tennessee.
Adams was indicted on federal criminal charges in September 2024, with prosecutors alleging that Adams took bribes from foreign nationals and illegal campaign contributions in exchange for favors.
Trump had hinted at the possibility of a pardon in December, telling reporters that the mayor had been "treated pretty unfairly." He had also claimed, without offering evidence, that Adams was being persecuted for criticizing former President Joe Biden’s policies on immigration.
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After Trump’s inauguration, Adams’ lawyers had approached senior Justice Department officials, asking them to intervene and drop the case.
The backstory:
Adams was accused of accepting luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals in exchange for political favors, including helping Turkish officials resolve city approvals for a diplomatic building in Manhattan.
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Adams, who was elected as a Democrat, has been appearing to move to the right politically in recent months, expressing a willingness to roll back the city's so-called sanctuary policies and pledged not to publicly criticize a president whose policies he once described as "abusive."
In recent weeks, he implied that Trump’s agenda would be better for New York than former President Joe Biden’s.
Trump and Adams
Big picture view:
President Donald Trump has criticized the case against Adams and said he was open to giving the mayor a pardon. The two have aligned on certain issues, including immigration enforcement.