Is Eric Adams Using the Power of the Mayor's Office to Protect his Personal Interests, instead of Using the Power in Pursuit of the Public's Interests?

February 21, 2025 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC. This report was first published embedded in the WTD.

This was quite a week for Mayor Eric Adams. Starting a week ago, on Thursday, February 13, 2025, SEVEN U.S. Department of Justice attorneys decided to hand in their resignations, rather than file a motion to drop the corruption case of the United States against Eric Adams.

Eric Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges, which according to a February 15, 2025 report by the BBC include,

" ... five separate criminal counts, including "conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals", wire fraud, two counts of solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national and bribery ...".

In resigning, the now former U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten wrote,

" ... If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice [not to withdraw the case], then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion ...".

The U.S. Attorneys were asked to file the motion to withdraw the case by acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove. Apparently, U.S. Attorney Edward Sullivan stepped up to file the motion, but not because he was a fool or a coward, but rather reportedly to spare the firings of many of the other attorneys in the Public Integrity section of the Department of Justice [DOJ] where the case and subsequent motion were filed.

A Sad Litany of Events Reveals Both Adams' and Trump's Lack of Integrity

Trump Tries to Withdraw Adams Case without Prejudice. So, consider this, these seven highly paid professional U.S. federal prosecutors forfeited their income and their positions, because they refused to follow the orders of Trump's Acting Deputy Attorney General, Emil Bove, who apparently was instructed by Trump to withdraw the case without prejudice.

This is an important detail [withdrawing without prejudice], because to withdraw the case without prejudice means that Trump's Department of Justice [aka DOJ] wants to, " ... terminate [the] case, allowing the plaintiff [the DOJ] to refile the claim in the future. This [kind of] dismissal is not an adjudication on the merits, meaning the court has not addressed the substantive issues [and] ... It often arises from procedural or technical deficiencies, such as improper service of process or lack of jurisdiction ...". So, this begs the following question.

CLICK here to read more about seemingly corrupt and dishonest leadership in NYC and USA - Mayor Eric Adams and President Donald J. Trump.

Is Trump Using the Courts for 'Judicial Extortion' to Extract Special Favors from Adams? Trump has not offered to pardon Adams, nor has he even offerred to completely drop the case [that would be with prejudice]. And seven prosecutors in the U.S. Attorneys Office quit their jobs over the Trump DOJ effort to withdraw the case, apparently because they believe it's a terrible misuse of the DOJ and the Courts. And they would also have to believe that the corruption case against Adams is very, very strong.

Trump is offering to withdraw the case, without prejudice [which means dropped only for the time being], so Trump still has the option to file the case against Adams again. This seems to be judicial extortion by Trump, because if Eric Adams doesn't follow Trump's orders, Trump will likely refile the case against Adams. The attorneys in this case appear to have a lot of integrity, which unfortunately appears to be a very important character trait that's lacking in both our Mayor, Eric Adams, and our President, Donald Trump.

The Wrong People are Quitting, While the Alleged Criminals Hang onto their Jobs. While Adams appears to come up short on personal integrity, it appears some of his staff do not.

On Monday, February 17th, 2025 [Presidents Day] four of the eight Deputy Mayors said they were resigning, but would stay on until Adams can find their replacements. The Deputy Mayors include 1) first deputy mayor, Maria Torres Springer, 2) deputy mayor for operations, Meera Joshi, 3) deputy mayor for health and human services, Anne Williams-Isom and 4) deputy mayor for public safety, Chauncey Parker.

Later that Monday, following the resignation announcements by the four of Adams' deputy mayors, NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, called for Eric Adams to resign. As we said last week, we're living in a Bizarro world [Superman definition] where everything seems turned upside down.

Governor Hochul Installs Some 'Guardrails' on Adams

The Nightly Nonsense on TV News. I've not yet had a chance to familiarize myself with the legally viable options for ousting a potentially criminal Mayor in NYC. But based on the TV News hearsay, which I oftentimes find unreliable because they don't appear to do a very good job of fact checking, there is said to be several legal mechanisms available at the state and municipal levels to oust an elected NYC Mayor. None of those mechanisms have yet been set in motion.

Governor Hochul Avoids Trying to Remove Adams which would have likely Made Things Worse & Instead Installs Guardrails.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, February 18 & 19, 2025, NYS Governor Hochul met with a number of community leaders to discuss what to do about Eric Adams' alleged criminality and Trump's apparent judicial extortion scheme to use Adams as his political puppet.

Hochul emerged on Thursday, announcing she would work with local officials to keep 'guardrails' around Adams, including providing funding for attorney's fees to the NYC Comptroller and the NYC Public Advocate to use to take the federal government to court should the Trump Administration attempt to infringe upon the NYS and NYC jurisdiction by leveraging the Adams corruption lawsuit to tell him how to execute his mayoral duties. Hochul is also going to appoint a special inspector to the NYC Department of Investigations to direct efforts in that department to ensure that Trump doesn't interfere with Adams' responsibilities to the people of New York. And the Democratic primary for NYC Mayor is June 24, 2025, around which time one would think that Adams becomes a lame duck mayor, and loses some of his value to the Donald.

Is Adams Innocent as he Claims, or 'Doth the Mayor Protest too Much'?

Adams continues to protest the five counts of criminal corruption, claiming he's innocent.

Adams also protests the claim that he struck a Quid Pro Quo deal with the Trump Administration Department of Justice [DOJ]. The alleged Quid Pro Quo deal was that Trump's DOJ would withdraw the corruption lawsuit against Adams in exchange for Adams helping ICE round up illegal immigrants in NYC.

Why then, did Adams change his cell phone password, and conveniently 'forgot it' just before he handed his cell phone over to the FBI last Fall? This is not the behavior of an innocent man.

And why have at least five other members of Eric Adams's Administration / inner circle been indicted [one has already been convicted] on criminal charges? These are not the type of associates who would normally be surrounding an innocent man.

And why then did Adams not seek help from the President of his own [at least at the time] Democratic Party, while Biden was in office? This is also not the behavior of an innocent man.

And why then is Adams unwilling to allow the judicial process - aka the wheels of justice - do their slow methodical work? Again, not the behavior of ...

Adams protests the claim that he struck a Quid Pro Quo deal with Trump, trading some sort of reprieve or a pardon, in exchange for how the NYC Mayor would work with Trump vis-a-vis expending municipal resources to round up illegal immigrants.

So why then, did Adams travel down to Mara Lago on the Friday of the MLK weekend, to spend some time with Trump? Again, not the behavior of an innocent man.

And why then, at the last minute on the Sunday night of the MLK weekend, did Adams ditch his friends at local events in NYC on MLK Monday, to attend the Trump Inauguration? Again, not the behavior of an innocent man.

In the Shakespeare's Hamlet, Queen Gertrude says, " ... Methinks the lady doth protest too much ..." meaning the lady is overacting in an insincere, manipulative manner. I see some parallels here, causing me to ponder, 'Doth Mayor Adams protest too much?'

Following Adams & Trump's Meetings - The Most Super-Amazing Series of 'Coincidences' Occur

After the Inauguration, the Trump Administration 'coincidentally' ordered the Department of Justice to withdraw the charges against Adams.

At first the Administration said the charges were being withdrawn because they had been filed too close to an election [about 9 months before the primary].

But lately the Trump DOJ has changed its story, and they are now saying that the lawful prosecution of the Adams' corruption charges, was interfering with the Mayor's ability to carry out his duties as NYC Mayor - vis-a-vis illegal immigration enforcement.

Soon after, again 'coincidentally', Adams announced new major efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants including opening Rikers to ICE agents, and embedding the NYPD with ICE task forces.

Eric Adams appears on one of billionaire Rupert Murdoch's Adams-friendly TV news shows, with acting Director of Homeland Security, Tom Homan, on Friday, February 14, 2025. On the show, Homan reportedly told Adams and the audience that,

"... If he [Adams] doesn’t come through, I’ll be back in New York City and we won’t be sitting on the couch, I’ll be in his office, up his butt, saying, Where the hell is this agreement we came to? ...”.

In the graphic above or at right, is a smiling Eric Adams, seated next to Tom Homan, as Homan made comments including the one above. Homan's comments appeared to excite Adams, causing him to light up with that great big smile of his, as you can see in the photo.

According to a February 14, 2025 Gothamist report, headlined 'Mayor Adams plans executive order allowing ICE presence at Rikers Island' we're informed of the following,

"... A 2014 law prohibits the city Department of Correction from cooperating with ICE unless an individual has been convicted of a serious or violent crime. The 2014 measure, however, allows the mayor by executive order to allow ICE to have an office on Rikers Island "for purposes unrelated to the enforcement of civil immigration laws...".

"... Adams also said he discussed with Homan [acting director of Homeland Security] ways to embed more NYPD officers into federal task forces, to quash “violent gangs” and criminal activity. ... The announcement comes days after the U.S. Department of Justice ordered federal prosecutors in New York to drop federal corruption charges against Adams. A letter from the acting deputy attorney general of the DOJ said the charges should be dropped in part so Adams could pursue the president’s immigration agenda...".

Federal Law Rule 48 & the Mayor of Limbo in NYC

Apparently the Judge, to whom the Adams case withdrawal was brought, understands the serious nature of the issues currently at play - not just in NYC - but also in the nation.

What is currently at play is the integrity of the American judicial system, which is an important component of our democratic republic government, that neither Donald Trump nor Eric Adams appear to give a crap about.

Rule 48 states that a State Attorney General or a U.S. Attorney may only withdraw a criminal case with permission from the Court. And while the two parties involved in the case, Donald Trump's Justice Deparment and Defendant Eric Adams, would both like to see the case withdrawn, they still need the permission of the court.

The Judge decided to take some time to consider all aspects of what he's been asked to do - given what's REALLY going on here - which is that both Trump and Adams are willing to sacrifice the integrity of the judicial system to get what they want. Just like both men sacrificed their own integrity a long, long time ago; to get the many things that they have so voraciously and rapaciously desired.