Trump’s DOJ pushes for Adams case dismissal. We all know why
President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Eric Adams are happy to subvert the will of the people so long as they each stand to gain something from it.
Top DOJ officials resign after ordered to drop Eric Adams’ charges
Three senior DOJ officials, including Manhattan’s US attorney, resigned after they were ordered to drop corruption charges against NYC’s mayor.
It seems that President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Eric Adams are happy to subvert the will of the people so long as they each stand to gain something from it.
On Friday, the Justice Department formally requested that the corruption case against Adams be dropped. This came after resignations over the decision – former acting Manhattan U.S. attorney Danielle Sassoon and several other Justice Department employees stepped down from their posts.
In her resignation letter, Sassoon accused the mayor’s lawyers of urging a “quid pro quo” agreement, in which the case dismissal would be traded for immigration enforcement.
It sure seems like that’s what’s happening. In a “Fox & Friends” interview Friday, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told Adams that he would be “in his office, up his butt” if the New York City mayor reversed his decision to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
New Yorkers deserve a mayor with integrity. Adams is making it clear he has none.
Eric Adams has been openly auditioning for this dismissal
Adams’ strategy has been out in the open since the start of 2025. Over the past few weeks, the mayor met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, attended the inauguration and sat for an hour-long interview with Tucker Carlson, where he accused the Democrats of deserting him.
After meeting with Homan last week, Adams announced that he’d be drafting an executive order that would allow ICE to reopen an office on the Rikers Island jail complex. The decision goes against a 2014 law signed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
It’s shocking to see Adams brazenly disregard the will of the Democrats who elected him while throwing under the bus the more than 400,000 undocumented immigrants living in New York City.
Thankfully, some in the mayor’s office are taking a stand against Adams’ apparent corruption. On Monday, four city officials announced that they’re resigning over Adams’ cooperation with the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.
Still, it doesn’t seem to be enough to stop the mayor from following through on his plans.
Will New York Gov. Kathy Hochul remove Adams?
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul could also do something about this. She has the power to remove Adams from office, a decision she was still weighing last week. If she chooses this route, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would become acting mayor.
Adams also faces a deep bench of candidates in the June Democratic primary election. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over sexual harassment allegations and who has not formally entered the race, is polling ahead with 32% among the mayoral candidates, with former Comptroller Scott Stringer a distant second at 10%. Adams polls at 6%, alongside democratic socialist and Queens assembly member Zohran Mamdani.
New York has closed primaries, meaning you must belong to a party to vote for its candidates. The deadline to change your registration has passed.
NYC voters must decide path forward. And Democrats can’t sit this out.
There’s a very real possibility that Adams gets away with all of it. If the mayor does not stand trial, New Yorkers lose.
We deserve to let the justice system determine if Adams let corruption infiltrate his office, to at least see our mayor stand trial and defend himself over the corruption charges.
The mayor has pleaded “not guilty” and committed to staying in office as recently as over the weekend. He clearly has no intention of stepping down, although being reelected or removed is a different story.
It’s imperative that Democrats vote in the June primary election. If we have learned anything from 2024, it is that it’s not enough to just sit on the sidelines griping. New Yorkers must decide what they want for their city. Adams is the last thing we need.
Meanwhile, Democrats in office need to do the right thing and stand up for the immigrants who keep New York City running.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno
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