A top Department of Justice official asked federal prosecutors to drop their case against Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams, multiple outlets reported Monday—news that comes weeks after Adams began getting publicly closer to President Donald Trump.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference at City Hall, Wednesday, Feb. 5, ... [+]
The Justice Department's deputy attorney general, Emil Bove, directed the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York to dismiss the charges against Adams in part because the charges were filed too close to the 2025 mayoral primary and because it limited how much Adams could cooperate with Trump’s immigration policy changes, The New York Times reported.
Adams faced charges based on allegations that he received illegal donations from the Turkish government for his 2021 mayoral campaign, though prosecutors alleged he may have received illegal contributions as far back as 2014, when he was Brooklyn borough president.
The charges being dropped would not be a total surprise as Trump hinted back in December he may pardon Adams, saying while he would “have to see it, because I don’t know the facts,” the mayor was being “treated very unfairly.”
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Adams was charged with one count of conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and commit wire fraud and bribery; one count of wire fraud; two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals; and one count of soliciting and accepting a bribe. Shortly after the charges were filed, prosecutor Hagan Cordell said it was “quite likely” Adams would face unspecified additional charges as “there are several related investigations here,” and in January federal prosecutors said they uncovered additional criminal conduct, though more charges have not been filed.
Prosecutors unsealed the indictment against Adams on Sept. 26, 2023, at which time then-U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a release Adams “abused his position” and “put the interests of his benefactors, including a foreign official, above those of his constituents.” Adams rejected calls for his resignation at the time, saying he was innocent and would “continue to do the job that I was elected to do” and that his “day-to-day [would] not change.”
45 years. That’s the maximum prison time the crimes Adams is charged with carry, according to the Justice Department.
Following Trump’s election, Adams said he would not criticize the president publicly but rather, “If I do disagree, I will communicate with him directly on them,” the Times reported. Adams attended Trump’s inauguration and, before that, met with him at Mar-a-Lago. In a statement before their meeting, a spokesperson for Adams said he had “made quite clear his willingness to work with President-elect Trump and his incoming administration on behalf of New Yorkers.” Adams also floated the idea of returning to the Republican Party—which he was a registered member of in the 1990s—saying, “No matter what party I’m on or vote on, I’m going to push for American values.”