According to multiple sources, federal authorities are considering dropping the criminal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, as CBS News and the New York Times report that officials from Trump’s DOJ have been discussing the possibility with prosecutors from the Southern District of New York in Manhattan. The move comes as the mayor’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, has reportedly contacted acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove requesting that the case against Adams be dropped. There is yet to be an official comment from the Mayor Adams, the Justice Department, or SDNY prosecutors.
It is not unusual for someone in the embattled mayor’s position to reach out to the a new presidential administration about a pending federal case against him, although Adams’ relationship with the second Trump administration has been the stuff of headlines since the president’s election last November. Adams met with the president’s “border czar” Tom Homan at the mayor’s official residence in December, saying afterwards that “his goal is the same goal I have.” Days later, Trump stated in a press conference that he “would certainly look at” the possibility of pardoning Adams and claimed that he had been “treated pretty unfairly” by the federal government. A month later, the New York City mayor flew down to Florida for a private meeting with Trump just three days before the latter’s inauguration. In a statement released after their meeting, Adams said that he and the then-president-elect “had a productive conversation about New York’s needs,” and dismissed what he called “inaccurate speculation” that a pardon might have been discussed.
Mayor Adams was indicted last September on bribery, campaign finance, and conspiracy charges for alleged corruption from when he was Brooklyn borough president through to his current term as mayor of New York. Federal prosecutors allege that Adams received illegal donations from foreign sources – including officials representing interest of countries like Turkey, China, South Korea, and Israel – which were masked through a straw donor scheme, by which a person who is not permitted to donate funnels their money through people who are permitted to do so, with the second party falsely claiming that the funds are their own.
Authorities from the SDNY also allege that the mayor took actions that “put the interests of his benefactors, including a foreign official, above those of his constituents,” such as pushing for the opening of a Turkish consular building despite safety concerns raised by the Fire Department. At one point shortly before it opened, an exterior glass panel fell 30 stories onto the street, fortunately not injuring anyone. The mayor is also accused of taking over $100,000 in bribes arranged by a Turkish official, among others.
Having charges dropped would be a more favorable conclusion for both Adams and Trump compared to a pardon, as the latter could produce some political fallout for both politicians. With a pardon, Trump could be accused of intervening in the legal process for political purposes, while with the charges dismissed, Adams’ claim that the initial prosecution was politicized could gain credibility and Trump could believably claim to be uninvolved in the process. Sources familiar with the matter have told multiple outlets that no final decision has been made. Former aide to the mayor Mohamed Bahi remains indicted with witness tampering by federal prosecutors, while Adams’ former chief advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin and her son Glen Martin II are facing corruption charges from Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg. According to experts, if federal charges against Eric Adams are dropped, it doesn’t automatically mean that charges against others, like Ingrid Lewis-Martin, will also be dropped. Each case is typically evaluated on its own merits, and decisions to drop charges are made based on the specific evidence and circumstances of each individual case.
According to the Times’ sources, the mayor’s lawyer Alex Spiro reportedly suggested that the mayor might not cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown as long as the indictment stands, which Spiro rejected as “a complete lie.” Alex Spiro also represents Trump ally Elon Musk, who is currently being sued by the SEC over his alleged failure to disclose his ownership of shares in Twitter before buying the social media platform.
