Justice Department is reportedly considering dropping federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was recently indicted on bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy charges by the Southern District of New York.
If the case is dismissed, Adams would avoid becoming the first sitting NYC mayor to face criminal prosecution.
According to the indictment, Adams allegedly accepted $10 million in illegal “straw” campaign contributions and bribes from foreign countries, including Turkey, Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.
Federal prosecutors claim that for nearly a decade, Adams accepted luxury travel and other benefits from foreign businesspeople and government officials in exchange for political favors.
“As Adams’s prominence and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their corrupt relationships with him, particularly when, in 2021, it became clear that Adams would become New York City’s mayor,” the indictment states.
In November 2024, federal agents raided Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the NYC mayor, as part of their public corruption investigation.
Some critics claimed the Biden administration went after Adams in retaliation for his criticism of illegal immigration, particularly after he admitted that migrants were “destroying NYC.”
Exactly one year ago, Mayor Eric Adams admitted (off-script) that migrants are “destroying NYC”
He was just indicted by Biden-Harris pic.twitter.com/oDhKVuPAzA
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 26, 2024
According to The New York Times, officials in Trump’s Justice Department are in talks to dismiss the charges against Adams.
“Senior Justice Department officials under President Trump have held discussions with federal prosecutors in Manhattan about the possibility of dropping their corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams of New York,” the report states.
Additionally, Adams’s legal team, led by Alex Spiro (who is also Elon Musk’s personal lawyer and a Trump adviser), has been in contact with DOJ officials about the case.
Since Trump took office, Adams has softened his stance on the former president and has expressed support for Trump’s immigration policies.
- He attended Trump’s inauguration
- He visited Mar-a-Lago
- He has pledged to keep criticisms of Trump private
- He is working with the Trump administration to deport illegal immigrants
In December 2024, Trump suggested that Adams had been treated “pretty unfairly” and indicated he was considering a presidential pardon.
Last month, Adams publicly announced his willingness to work with Trump and Border Czar Tom Homan to increase deportations of illegal immigrants.
“Well, cancel me because I’m going to protect the people of this city,” Adams said.