Judge indefinitely delays NYC Mayor Eric Adams' corruption trial
A federal judge said Friday that he would delay New York Mayor Eric Adams' corruption trial indefinitely before making a decision on a controversial U.S. Justice Department motion to dismiss the charges.
U.S. District Judge Dale Ho said in his ruling that he would select an independent lawyer, Paul Clement, to present arguments against the prosecutors' bid to dismiss to help him decide. Ho wrote that he was appointing Clement, who was a solicitor general under President George W. Bush, because Adams and the Justice Department are aligned in their positions and the motion to dismiss hadn't undergone "adversarial testing."
"An appointment is appropriate here to assist the court's decision-making," Ho wrote. "That is particularly so in light of the public importance of this case, which calls for careful deliberation."
Adams was charged with accepting illegal campaign contributions and free travel from Turkish officials and business leaders. Prosecutors say Adams, now running for reelection, responded with favors such as expediting safety inspections at a 36-story consulate building.
The Justice Department’s decision to drop the charges prompted multiple federal prosecutors to resign and elicited accusations that Adams agreed to cooperate with President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in exchange for making his legal troubles go away.
Four of Adams’ top deputies have resigned in response to Adams’ new alliance with Trump. Hochul responded by expressing concern about the direction of his administration and consulting with city leaders about the possibility of deposing her fellow Democrat.
“The alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored," Hochul said in a statement days before Ho's ruling.
The Justice Department asked Ho to dismiss the charges with prejudice, meaning they could not be refiled.
Adams has pleaded not guilty, vehemently denying the charges he described as "sensational."
“I’m a victim of a very overaggressive investigation,” he told Spectrum News NY1 on Wedensday. “And I’m telling you it hurts, and I’m a victim. And now that victimization is playing out again.”
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, a former criminal lawyer for Trump, wrote that the Justice Department did not assess the evidence in the indictment. But he said the charges "restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime.”
NY governor says she won't remove Adams
Gov. Kathy Hochul has faced immense pressure to remove Adams and he has faced calls to resign from several New York organizations and politicians.
The city charter does allow the governor to remove a mayor from office "after service upon him of a copy of the charges and an opportunity to be heard in his defense. Pending the preparation and disposition of charges, the governor may suspend the mayor for a period not exceeding 30 days."
But Hochul announced Thursday that she would not oust Adams from office and will instead seek to impose strict new guidelines on his administration. The proposed guardrails could curtail the mayor's independence as he awaits Ho's decision.
If Hochul changed her mind and decided to oust Adams, she would need to provide the mayor with a written complaint laying out the accusations that are prompting the ouster. Adams then would be afforded some type of public hearing to defend himself against the claims. How that would work was not immediately clear, and there is no precedent for it.
How to fire a mayor:Protocols for ousting NYC Mayor Eric Adams untested
Who would become acting mayor?
If Hochul did decide to oust Adams, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would become acting mayor. The timeline is important because the mayoral election will take place this year.
If Adams is removed from office before March 26, or 90 days before the primary election June 24, Williams would need to call a special election. The winner would serve as mayor until the newly elected mayor takes office in January.
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