Mayor Adams: A Political Storm in New York

This: A mayor, a city, and a whirlwind of accusations. This is the story of Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City. It all started with a sudden end to a criminal case that had everyone talking. The Justice Department stepped in and told the Southern District of New York to drop the charges against Adams. Why? They said the timing was off, and there was too much publicity. This publicity could have affected witnesses and the jury pool. The Justice Department also said that the case was getting in the way of Adams' work on illegal immigration and violent crime. The Southern District of New York didn't take this lying down. The interim U. S. attorney, Danielle Sassoon, resigned, along with the lead prosecutor. Five members of the Justice Department’s public integrity unit also quit. The acting Deputy Attorney General, Emil Bove, wasn't happy with Sassoon’s resignation. He accused her of insubordination and misconduct. But Attorney General Pam Bondi brushed off the resignations, and the Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss the charges. Adams had been in the middle of a big, public investigation. In November 2023, the FBI raided the homes of his top aides. They seized iPhones, computers, and documents. Then, agents stopped Adams himself as he was leaving an event. They demanded his cellphones and an iPad. The news spread quickly: A criminal case against Adams was escalating. Adams, a former police officer and Republican, won the 2021 Democratic mayoral primary with a tough-on-crime message. But his time in office was marked by constant battles with the powerful progressive wing of his party. Less than a year after the FBI raids, there was a big shake-up at City Hall. Top officials resigned, including the First Deputy Mayor, the Police Commissioner, the Schools Chancellor, and more. The media was buzzing with talk of corruption, shakedowns, and illegal donations. But when Adams was finally indicted, the case was a letdown. He was charged with accepting illegal campaign contributions and gifts from wealthy foreigners. The charges included accepting free or discounted airline travel, hotel rooms, meals, and entertainment. In exchange for these gifts, prosecutors allege, Adams engaged in a quid pro quo waiver of a fire inspection requirement on a new Turkish consular building in Manhattan. But the case against Adams looked weak. Campaign finance violations are serious, but the charges seemed unlikely to sway a Manhattan jury. The Supreme Court’s narrowing of the scope of public corruption in the McDonnell v. United States ruling would make it hard for prosecutors to argue that Adams engaged in an “official action” to grease the skids for a presidential visit to the new Turkish Consulate. While the case for the defense looked promising, the calendar was brutal. Adams was slated to go on trial in April. The Democratic mayoral primary is in June. But as his troubles mounted last year, Adams found a sympathetic ear in the Republican presidential candidate. “I know what it’s like to be persecuted by the DOJ for speaking out against open borders, ” Trump said at the high-profile Al Smith Dinner for Catholic charity in October 2024, addressing Adams.