WASHINGTON — Mayor Eric Adams confronted not-so-friendly hearth from fellow Democrats throughout a heated congressional listening to on sanctuary metropolis legal guidelines Wednesday — whereas receiving a largely heat welcome from the GOP.
Hizzoner repeatedly insisted underneath oath in the course of the six-hour Home oversight committee listening to that there was “no quid pro quo” between him and the feds about President Trump’s Division of Justice shifting to toss his corruption case.
The road of questioning from Dems equivalent to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clearly annoyed Adams, who in any other case stored a low profile as Republican representatives ripped into three different big-city Democratic mayors.
The Democratic furor started with California Rep. Robert Garcia calling on Adams to resign as he accused the mayor of agreeing to work with Trump on immigration with a view to see his costs dropped, which the mayor denied.
“Are you selling out New Yorkers to save yourself from prosecution?” Garcia bluntly requested Adams.
“There’s no deal, no quid pro quo and I did nothing wrong,” Adams responded.
The listening to in Washington, DC, vividly illustrated Adams’ waning place amongst his personal social gathering, in addition to Republicans’ more and more heat view of him.
Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky) referred to as Adams “outstanding” whereas introducing him, however didn’t supply such pleasantries to the mayor’s counterparts: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
Comer even served up a delicate query to Adams over the associated fee for the “influx of illegal foreign entities” to New York Metropolis.
“Mr. Chairman, we spent $6.9 billion,” Adams stated. “And the long term impact of that is extremely significant.”
Adams time-after-time gave that billion-dollar response to questions over the price of “illegal” immigrants, regardless of repeatedly saying previously that asylum seekers have been within the metropolis legally.
He in any other case confronted few direct questions in the course of the listening to, in contrast to the opposite Democratic mayors who spent hours within the sizzling seat.
A lot of the practically three dozen questions Adams acquired have been from when Republicans went down the road of mayors, quizzing them on unlawful immigration and sanctuary metropolis insurance policies.
At one level, Rep. William Timmons (R-South Carolina) backhandedly praised Adams for talking up in opposition to former President Joe Biden’s border insurance policies by insinuating it led to the mayor’s authorized troubles.
“The only one of you who stood up to the previous administration was under investigation shortly thereafter,” he stated. “Weird how that happens.”
Many Democrats tried to pin down Adams on the alleged improper deal to work with the Trump administration on immigration.
They trotted out props and repeatedly requested Adams about border czar Tom Homan’s promise — made in a weird joint look with the mayor on “Fox & Friends” — to be “up his butt” if he fails to uphold an “agreement” on the Trump admin’s immigration crackdown.
Adams fell again on denying any quid professional quo and contending he wanted to defer to Manhattan federal Choose Dale Ho’s hotly-anticipated determination on whether or not to scrap the corruption case.
Ocasio-Cortez argued that deference to a decide just isn’t a permissible excuse to keep away from questions from Congress.
“Is it your intention to plead the Fifth?” she requested.
“I’m answering your question directly,” Adams responded.
Comer ended Ocasio-Cortez’s questions with a reminder that the listening to was over sanctuary metropolis insurance policies and that “Mr. Adams is here voluntarily.”
Quite a few occasions as Adams was grilled by his fellow Dems on his ongoing authorized woes, an legal professional leaned in and whispered to the mayor earlier than or interrupted him as he answered.
The lawyer refused to reply questions from a Publish reporter, solely saying he was counsel throughout one of many breaks.
Press secretary Kayla Mamelak later confirmed the legal professional was Sandeep Savla of Norton Rose, the place he works on white collar crimes and civil instances. She stated he was introduced on by the company counsel to characterize the town.
Mamelak refused to reply any questions on why Savla repeatedly chimed in whereas the mayor was requested about his prison case.
Adams dodged reporters because the contentious listening to ended.
