A senior official in the U.S. Department of Justice ordered federal prosecutors not to file charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams is a Democrat with a good relationship with President Donald Trump.
In a 2-page memo, Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general and alumnus from the Manhattan office who brought the case, stated that the decision was made without a thorough assessment of the strength or weakness of the prosecution. It was not intended to question the attorneys who filed the case.
Bove stated that the timing and “more recent” actions of former U.S. Attorney Damian Williams who headed the office “have threatened the integrity of proceedings including by increasing prejudicial publicity before trial that may impact potential witnesses and jury pool.”
Bove wrote also that the pending criminal prosecution had “unreasonably restricted” Adams’s ability to “dedicate full attention and resources” to illegal immigration and violent crimes that have escalated during the policies of the previous Administration.
The Justice Department order states that the case will be dismissed without prejudice. This could mean that it can be re-filed at a later date.
After months of speculation, the Trump Justice Department has finally taken action to close the criminal case against Adams. Adams was accused of accepting free or discounted travel as well as illegal campaign contributions.
Trump hinted in December at the possibility of pardoning the mayor, telling reporters the mayor was “treated pretty unfairly”. He also claimed without providing evidence that Adams had been persecuted because he had criticized former president Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
Adams’ lawyers approached senior Justice Department officials after Trump’s inauguration to ask them to intervene in the case and drop it.
Alex Spiro is Adams’ lawyer. He did not respond to a comment request immediately. A spokesperson for the mayor and a representative from his campaign did not respond to inquiries.
Adams’ tone changed after he was indicted by the FBI in September. His public praise for Trump and his immigration hardliner agenda enraged some members of his party.
The Democrat scolded people who called Trump a racist. Adams, who still said that he voted for Kamala, stopped mentioning the name of the vice president at public events except when reporters prompted him.
Adams flew from New York to Florida on January 17 to meet Trump. Adams said that the two men had not discussed his criminal case or the possibility of a pardon. However, he implied that Trump’s agenda was better for New York than former President Joe Biden.
Adams told reporters the day following the meeting, “I look forward to having a President who loves the city as much as I do.” Adams has denied any illegal activity and said that the criticisms of his overseas travel and heavily discounted first-class flights were unfair.
Trump, who last year was convicted of falsifying records to conceal a hush-money payment, had previously expressed his solidarity with Adams.
“I know what it’s like to be persecuted by the DOJ, for speaking out against open borders,” Trump said in October at a Manhattan event attended by Adams. “We were persecuted, Eric. I was persecuted, and so are you, Eric.”
In the criminal case against Adams, it is alleged that he received illegal campaign contributions as well as lavish travel benefits worth more than $100,000. These included expensive flight upgrades and luxury hotel stays.
Indictment: A Turkish official who facilitated the trips asked Adams for favors. At one point, he was asked to lobby the Fire Department for the opening of a newly built, 36-story diplomatic facility in time for the planned visit by Turkey’s president.
The prosecutors also claimed that they had evidence that Adams had personally directed campaign staffers to solicit donations from foreign countries, and then disguised those donations to qualify for the generous city program which provides a generous match to small-dollar donations. Federal law prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to U.S. election campaigns.
Williams, the federal prosecutor who brought the charges against Trump, stepped down following his election victory. As recently as January 6th, prosecutors indicated that their investigation was still active. They wrote in court documents that they continue to “uncover further criminal conduct by Adams.”
Agents from the federal government were also investigating senior Adams aides. Before the indictment of the mayor, federal agents seized the phones of a police commissioner and a school chancellor. They also seized the phones belonging to multiple deputy mayors, the director for Asian Affairs at the mayor, as well as the director’s phone. All of these officials have resigned since they denied any wrongdoing.
Ingrid Lewis Martin, Adams’ closest adviser and chief confidant was indicted in December by the Manhattan District Attorney on charges she and her child accepted $100,000 in bribes in connection with real estate construction projects.