Justice Department tells prosecutors to drop corruption case against New York mayor

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday called for the dismissal of the federal corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat. The mayor — who was indicted on five counts in September for allegedly accepting money from Turkey to accelerate local licenses for a new Turkish Consulate in Manhattan despite safety concerns — has in recent months cultivated a close relationship with President Donald Trump, whose trial in the hush money case, in which the Republican was found guilty of the 34 crimes he was charged with, he described as “political persecution.” The same words that the president repeatedly used to define the legal cases against him, now evaporated thanks to his victory at the polls.

In a memo sent to prosecutors late Monday, the Justice Department’s acting No. 2 official, Emil Bove, accused the former Manhattan federal prosecutor who brought the charges against Adams of doing so for political reasons, though he provided no evidence. Bove, who said the case would be reviewed after the mayoral election in November, was a prosecutor in the same office that indicted the mayor and, last year, he was one of Trump’s lead defense attorneys in the hush money case.

Adams was indicted on five counts of bribery conspiracy, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign donations for his 2021 campaign. Prosecutors accuse him of fast-tracking building permits for a new Turkish consulate in Manhattan despite security concerns in exchange for illegal donations and free or heavily discounted luxury trips. Prosecutors sought information about his relationships with five other countries and suggested the case could have been expanded. The mayor maintains his innocence.

The dismissal of the charges, based on an argument of bad timing rather than the substance of the case, would put an end to the case for now, in addition to raising questions about the administration of justice under Trump. Also on Monday the Republican pardoned former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, five years after commuting his sentence for political corruption for, among other acts, seeking to sell an appointment to then-president Barack Obama’s old Senate seat and trying to shake down a children’s hospital.

According to the reasons given by the Justice Department for its decision, Adams’ indictment came too close to the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary and limited his ability to cooperate with the federal government’s immigration crackdown, in which Adams has shown, if not enthusiasm, then almost partisan compliance, unlike Democratic mayors in other large cities such as Chicago.

The Justice Department’s move also comes after Adams’ repeated attempts to get closer to Trump. In addition to sharing legal troubles, the mayor has also tried to ingratiate himself with the U.S. president on issues such as immigration policy, showing himself willing to violate, or at least ignore, the status of sanctuary city that the Big Apple, like other Democratic cities, has traditionally represented for immigrants.

Adams has repeatedly said he plans to run for re-election this year, and at one point even hinted at the possibility of running as a Republican, although he did not mention that option again. In a move widely criticized by his fellow New Yorkers, Adams, a former police officer who advocates law and order and a tough-on-crime approach, attended Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Shortly before, he had met with the Republican at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida.

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