What’s happening: The Trump administration ordered the Justice Department (DOJ) to drop the charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, fueling speculation of a potential quid pro quo where Adams will now play ball with the administration on deportations.
Catch up: Donald Trump called the Biden administration DOJ “dirty players” right when the foreign bribery charges were brought against Adams this past September, accusing them of bringing a politically motivated case. Adams was one of the only Democratic mayors in the country to criticize President Biden’s border crisis, which brought an overwhelming surge of illegal migrants to NYC.
Resignations: The resignation of Danielle R. Sassoon, the acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), came after the DOJ ordered the dismissal of charges against Adams. At first, Sassoon and other prosecutors refused to drop the case out of principle, which led Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove — a Trump appointee — to accuse them of “insubordination.”
Firing back: Sassoon and the lead prosecutor against Mayor Adams, Hagan Scotten, wrote pointed resignation letters, with Scotten stating that only a "fool" or a "coward" would comply with the order to drop the case. At least half a dozen SDNY attorneys have resigned.
Corruption accusations: Democrats and many in the left-leaning media are crying foul, suggesting the Trump DOJ’s intervention undermines the rule of law and amounts to political favoritism. Tom Homan vehemently denied accusations of a quid pro quo.
However, Trump’s insistence on dropping the case goes back nearly six months, while Adams already agreed to work with the new administration on deportations immediately following Trump’s election win.
Changing course: Adams previously promised to abide by NYC’s “sanctuary city” laws but, after meeting with Tom Homan, now says his office is “working on implementing an executive order that will reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island.”
What’s next: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has not ruled out removing Adams from office, noting that she’s “consulting with other leaders in government at this time.”
Why it matters: It is not out of the question that Adams is more freely cooperating with the Trump administration because they dropped his criminal charges. However, the mainstream press misses the fact that Trump has believed the case was politically motivated from the start, and Adams wants a solution to his city’s illegal migrant problem. Now, both parties are engaging in normal politics to get what they want.
