Newsman: New York City Mayor Eric Adams broke his silence on Tuesday and denied he broke the law after the Justice Department instructed federal prosecutors to dismiss bribery charges filed against him.
The DOJ’s directive asked that the case be dismissed without prejudice. The directive from Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove suggested that the case was biased, hurt Adams’ re-election bid, and impacted his ability to help the Trump administration crackdown on illegal immigration.
Adams On Tuesday afternoon continued to deny he broke the law while thanking the Trump administration’s Justice Department “for its honesty.” He declared an end to the criminal case that he insisted was politically motivated.
“Let me be clear, I never asked anyone to break the law on my behalf or on behalf of my campaign, never, and I absolutely never traded my power as an elected official for any personal benefit,” Adams said. “I thank the Justice Department for its honesty. Now we can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of our city. It’s time to move forward.”
“Despite the fact that I am no longer facing legal questions, I also understand that many New Yorkers will still question my character, and I know that I must continue to regain your trust,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot over the last year, and this experience has been humbling.”
The mayor said said this concluded “the most difficult 15 months of my life.” Eric Adams acknowledged that many New Yorkers will still not trust him.
Mayor Adams pleaded not guilty last September to bribery and conspiracy — that he accepted campaign donations and luxury travel from Turkish citizens and government officials and that he fast-tracked a certificate of occupancy for the Turkish Consulate.
But Adams had criticized the Biden Administration for saddling the city with the migrant crisis. The indictment, he claimed, was retribution.
“It cannot be ignored that Mayor Adams criticized the prior Administration’s immigration policies before the charges were filed,” the memo said. And that the case “has unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration.”
