With Wednesday’s dismissal of his federal corruption indictment, Mayor Adams is lastly out of the woods from a authorized perspective.
However from a political viewpoint, his troubles might solely be getting began.
Adams’ mayoral race rivals made clear Wednesday they’ll proceed to color him as keen to do President Trump’s bidding, a theme given contemporary ammunition by Manhattan Federal Courtroom Choose Dale Ho in his dismissal order.
In his ruling, Ho wrote he’s completely dropping the indictment — or “with prejudice” — as a result of he doesn’t have the ability to pressure Trump’s Division of Justice to proceed a case it desires to desert.
However Ho additionally wrote he’s not opining on whether or not Adams is “innocent or guilty” and rejected the argument that prosecutors underneath President Biden have been politically motivated in bringing the case, declaring there’s “no evidence” for that declare, which the mayor and Trump’s DOJ have pushed.
In reality, Ho wrote there’s “merit” to the concept that the case ought to proceed and panned the “disturbing” method by which Adams’ reprieve solely got here after Trump’s DOJ instructed he may get a “special dispensation” if he’d be “compliant” in helping the president’s “mass deportation” agenda. Since Trump’s DOJ first moved to kill his case in February, Adams has signaled willingness to play ball, together with by promising to let ICE brokers on Rikers Island.
“Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the Indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,” Ho wrote in his 78-page ruling.
That rebuke, together with the widespread condemnation of the DOJ’s efforts to hyperlink a choice in a felony prosecution to a political purpose, leaves Adams as politically susceptible as ever as he faces almost a dozen challengers in June’s Democratic main.
Going through document low approval rankings, lower than three months to go till the first election and flagging fundraising, Basil Smikle, a longtime Democratic strategist, argued it’ll be all however unimaginable for Adams to distance himself from Trump, particularly because it’s because of Trump {that a} dismissal of his case earlier than a trial even turned attainable.
“You can’t un-ring the bell,” Basil Smikle, an ex-New York State Democratic Get together govt director, stated, noting distaste for Trump is a significant concern on New Yorkers’ minds forward of the June 24 mayoral main.
“And I feel that New Yorkers are still quite aware that he had charges against him,” Smikle continued. “They may not know all the details but they do remember. That will raise questions in the minds of a lot of voters as to whether he’ll have the ability to be a strong advocate for the city against the Trump administration.”
Adams’ mayoral challengers seized on the dismissal choice to remind New Yorkers of these questions.
“Even the judge in the case agrees: this slimy deal reeks of a quid pro quo with the Trump administration,” Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, one among Adams’ 9 main challengers, stated after Ho’s ruling.
“In exchange for his freedom, Adams has looked the other way while the federal government detains and disappears New Yorkers, steals money from our city, and wages war on working people. Adams should resign in disgrace.”
Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander, one other Adams challenger, concurred: “The ruling does not change the facts: Eric Adams works for Donald Trump, not New Yorkers.”
Ho’s reference to a “bargain” echoes the language of ex-Manhattan U.S. Lawyer Danielle Sassoon, who resigned in February somewhat than drop Adams’ case at Trump officers’ orders due what she described because the “quid pro quo” underpinning the deal. 4 of Adams’ personal deputy mayors resigned days later over the identical considerations.
“He wants to say what he feels. He’s saying although it looks like a corrupt bargain, it looks like a quid pro quo, my hands are tied,” Scheindlin stated. “It’s a way of letting the public know that he has these views, but there’s nothing he could do.”
Adams has denied any quid professional quo with the Trump administration and stated Wednesday he’d completed nothing flawed.
“I’m now happy that our city can finally close the book with this and focus solely on the future of our great city,” Adams stated throughout a short look at Gracie Mansion. “As I have repeatedly said, I have always been solely beholden to the people of this city. No special, special interest, no political opponents, but just everyday New Yorkers, just you. I’m going to continue to do that.”
However Adams, doing little to dispel criticism over Trump, introduced a replica of “Government Gangsters,” a ebook penned by Trump FBI Director Kash Patel, to the transient look. The ebook has been criticized for regurgitating pro-Trump conspiracy theories a few “deep state.”
“I’m going to encourage every New Yorker to read it, read it and understand how we can never allow this to happen to another innocent American,” Adams stated, holding up Patel’s ebook earlier than strolling inside his mansion and telling reporters in response to shouted questions: “I’m running for reelection, and you know what? I’m going to win.”
Scott Stringer, the ex-comptroller working in opposition to Adams, stated in an interview after the dismissal that the mayor ought to use that confidence and present as much as a mayoral discussion board scheduled for Thursday the place most of his challengers will debate. And in an indication his now-dead corruption case is more likely to come up on the discussion board, Stringer warned: “The Eric Adams corruption allegations aren’t going away.”
Amid his authorized troubles, Adams has largely stayed off the mayoral marketing campaign path, not showing at candidate discussion board so far.
However after Stringer’s dare, Todd Shapiro, a PR guide volunteering as a spokesman for Adams’ marketing campaign, stated the mayor will attend Thursday’s discussion board.
A spokesman for ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the front-runner within the race to switch Adams, didn’t return a request for touch upon the dismissal.
“I respect the decision of the court, that’s about all I have to say,” Metropolis Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a newcomer to the mayoral race, stated Wednesday whereas strolling into Metropolis Corridor.
Adams was first indicted on Sept. 26 on prices alleging he took lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} in bribes and unlawful marketing campaign money, largely from Turkish authorities operatives, in trade for political favors.
These favors allegedly included Adams pressuring the FDNY after his 2021 mayoral main election win to dismiss fireplace security violations at Turkey’s consulate in Manhattan so the constructing may open in time for a go to by the nation’s chief, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Adams, the primary sitting New York Metropolis mayor to face felony indictment in trendy historical past, pleaded not responsible to all the costs and, previous to the Trump DOJ’s intervention, had been scheduled to go on trial on April 21.
Initially Revealed: April 2, 2025 at 4:03 PM EDT
