'Time to move forward': Eric Adams says DOJ ordered feds to drop the case against him
New York Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday the Department of Justice ordered federal prosecutors to dismiss the corruption charges against him, thanking the agency for a move he says will end “a monthslong saga that put me, my family and this city through an unnecessary ordeal.”
It remains unclear how quickly the criminal case might be dropped. The federal court docket had not been updated to reflect the change by the time Adams spoke. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office, Nicholas Biase, declined to comment.
In his speech, Adams said he was innocent, calling the bribery charges "baseless" and saying he never traded his power for personal benefit. Adams, who is seeking reelection this year, also vowed to regain the public's trust. “I thank the Justice Department for its honesty,” he said. “Now, we can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of our city. It’s time to move forward.”
His remarks came one day after acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove told prosecutors for the Southern District of New York to drop the bribery charges against Adams as soon as possible, multiple news outlets reported, including the New York Times, Reuters and The Associated Press.
Bove said in a two-page memo the case distracted Adams from focusing on immigration, crime and his reelection campaign. Bove also wrote that the move did not concern the merits of the case and criticized former President Joe Biden and former U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, a Biden appointee who brought the charges against Adams last year.
The directive came after mounting speculation that President Donald Trump would seek to end the case against Adams, to whom he has grown increasingly sympathetic. The president has previously suggested that Adams was a victim of a political prosecution and said he would consider pardoning the mayor. Last month, Adams met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida and attended his Jan. 20 inauguration.
The move also demonstrated the willingness of the Trump administration to intervene in criminal cases against his allies. On his first day in office, Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people involved in the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
In September, Adams was indicted for federal bribery, fraud and campaign finance charges, making him New York City's first mayor to be criminally charged while in office. Prosecutors alleged that Adams received more than $100,000 worth of illegal campaign contributions and free luxury travel in exchange for favors for the Turkish government. He pleaded not guilty and denies wrongdoing.
Adams, a Democrat, has suggested his indictment was political retribution for his criticisms of the Biden administration's handling of illegal immigration.
Adams was once a close ally of Biden, but their relationship soured after an influx of migrants put a strain on city resources and Adams blasted the White House and the former president publicly. In 2023, Biden's reelection campaign removed Adams as a national surrogate.
Adams has recently said his administration will cooperate with the federal government’s deportation efforts and has suggested reining in sanctuary city laws protecting migrants from deportation. Adams is one of several mayors scheduled to testify next month before the House Oversight Committee as part of an investigation into sanctuary cities.
His trial related to the corruption charges was scheduled to start on April 21, ahead of the Democratic primary in June for the New York City mayor's race.
Contributing: Bart Jansen; Reuters
(This story was updated to add additional information.)