President Donald Trump’s decision to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams in exchange for cooperation with immigration enforcement has caused turmoil within the Big Apple’s Democratic leadership. On Monday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced she is contemplating removing Adams from office due to the fallout of the dismissed charges.
“In the 235 years of New York State history, these powers have never been utilized to remove a duly-elected mayor; overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly,” Hochul said in a statement. “That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.”
Hochul’s threats come after acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered Manhattan prosecutors to drop their federal case against Adams last week. National Review reports: “the Justice Department then moved to dismiss the criminal charges in a motion which U.S. District Judge Dale Ho has yet to approve. Adams gave U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to New York City’s prison on Riker’s Island, sparking allegations of a quid pro quo between himself and the Trump administration that led to his case being dropped. Adams and border czar Tom Homan have denied the allegations.”
Following the dropped charges, four deputy mayors resigned over the Justice Department’s decision. Hochul then ascertained her constitutional power as governor to force an elected mayor from office should she choose to. “Tomorrow, I have asked key leaders to meet me at my Manhattan office for a conversation about the path forward, with the goal of ensuring stability for the City of New York” Hochul’s statement continued. “Let me be clear: my most urgent concern is the well-being of my 8.3 million constituents who live in New York City,” she added. “I will be monitoring this situation extraordinarily closely to ensure that New Yorkers are not being shortchanged by the current crisis in City government.”
National Review reports on the timeline:
In September, Adams was indicted on five counts of corruption related to his alleged acceptance of benefits, such as free luxury travel from Turkish officials, in exchange for pressuring city inspectors to approve the opening of a new Turkish consulate building in Manhattan without a proper fire inspection. Adams pleaded not guilty.
The Justice Department has said the federal case prevented Adams from exercising his mayoral duties in respect to tackling illegal immigration and violent crime, noting it hasn’t assessed the “strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based.”
At least seven prosecutors from the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, including acting U.S. attorney Danielle Sassoon, quit in protest of the Justice Department’s order to drop the case.
Adams has so far resisted pressure to resign. Even if he stays in power, the Democratic mayor will face a tough reelection bid this year in a primary race that may include disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
