NYC Mayor Eric Adams historic corruption case dismissed as judge sides with Trump DOJ
He’s a free man.New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ historic federal corruption case has been tossed — leaving him free to campaign for a second term without the threat of jail hanging over his head.
The hotly anticipated decision by Manhattan federal court Judge Dale Ho followed a political firestorm ignited by President Trump’s Department of Justice ordering prosecutors to drop the prosecution against Adams.The controversial move, led by Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove last month, sparked accusations that the Democratic mayor engaged in a “quid pro quo” with the administration in exchange for cooperating with Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown.Gov.Kathy Hochul even opened the door to potentially remove the mayor from office, but eventually decided to keep him in City Hall despite a number of calls from those within their own party.Adams was charged with a five-count indictment, including bribery and fraud, in September and had pleaded not guilty.
He was accused of pocketing more than $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions and travel perks from people seeking to buy influence with him, including a Turkish official.But Bove claimed that the case was a politically-motivated prosecution brought by the then-Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams, a President Joe Biden appointee.He also argued that the mayor could not properly do his job — putting New Yorkers at risk — as the ongoing case left him without a security clearance to get briefed on major threats.But he didn’t address the merits of the case in his motion, and also urged that the door be left open to possibly revive the prosecution following November’s mayoral election.The DOJ’s letter ordering federal prosecutors to drop the case sparked an exodus from the department and the Southern District of New York, which brought the case, including the interim head of the prestigious office, Danielle Sassoon, who raised the quid pro quo allegation in a searing resignation letter.Ho tapped ...