New York City Mayor Eric Adams promised to win back the trust of the public Tuesday, as the Justice Department halted his criminal corruption case. This extraordinary directive would allow him to help with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Adams, in his first public remarks since the federal prosecutors dropped the case, said that he wanted to “put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of this city.”
He didn’t mention Donald Trump, but praised the Justice Department “honesty,” and said that he wouldn’t “put any personal gain above my solemn responsibilities as your mayor.”
The brief speech by the mayor at City Hall was delivered one day after Emil Bove, acting deputy attorney general for federal prosecutions in Manhattan, told them to dismiss bribery allegations “as quickly as possible.”
Bove claimed in a two-page memorandum that the Justice Department made the decision without assessing the strength or the evidence. He said it was a political motivation and that Adams would be able to “dedicate full attention and resources to the fight against illegal immigration and violent crimes.”
Adams was criticized by some of his allies after the memo’s release, who claimed that he now adheres to the agenda of the Trump administration. Adams, who had been elected as a centrist Democrat in September after his indictment, already shifted to the right, praising Trump, and expressing a desire to rollback some of the protections that the city offers undocumented immigrants.
Rev. Al Sharpton, a powerful ally of Adams’, made a statement on Tuesday. “I have supported the Mayor, but he has been put in an unfair position — even for him — of essentially political blackmail.”
Some of the Democratic Party’s opponents also claimed that the Justice Department directive compromised the mayor.
Danielle Sassoon will be the one to carry out this order. She is a veteran prosecutor, who was appointed as acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan only days after Trump assumed office.
Her office has declined to comment, and it has not stated what its next steps are. In a letter last month, Adams’ prosecutors praised the strength and consistency of the evidence. They dismissed the mayor’s claims of political prosecution, saying that it was an attempt to “shift the focus away” from the evidence proving his guilt.
Sassoon’s power to challenge the order is limited. The Justice Department can replace her at any time. Trump nominated Jay Clayton in November, the former chairman the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to lead the Office. The Senate must confirm his appointment.