U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered federal prosecutors in New York to withdraw corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams.
The order is that all charges against Adam will be dismissed, and the dismissal is unbiased, officials said.
The charges have not yet been dismissed, and federal prosecutors in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday night.
A formal dismissal request will be filed in court by a prosecutor supervised by Daniel R. Sasson, a representation of the Southern District of New York, where the charges were filed. The motion for rejection will also be reviewed by the judge.
Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, called the planned fire a victory. “Like I said from the beginning, the mayor is innocent and he will win. He has it today,” Spiro said in a statement.
In the memo, Bove said that Adams’ indictment in September was too close to this year’s mayoral primary in June, limiting President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants and Adams’ ability to fight crime. I insisted.
Bove said the Adams case will be reviewed by a new Trump-appointed US lawyer after the mayor’s general election in November.
Bove also suggested that the accusations were politically motivated, without citing any particular evidence. “Mayor Adams cannot ignore his criticism of the previous administration’s immigration policy before the charges were filed,” Bove wrote.
Professor Stephen Gillers, a legal ethics expert at New York University Law School, refused to explain Bove.
“Despite his appearance concerns and his disclaimer, Bove’s memo is a baseless offensive slur against the previous US lawyer and the lawyer who worked on the Adams case at the top of the U.S. prosecutor’s office. State said. “
The office also indicted Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey. He was sentenced to 11 years last month after being convicted of bribery, obstruction of justice and other charges.
During the 2024 presidential election cycle, the indictment of two prominent Democratic officials, Adams and Menendez, was generally seen as a political blow to the Democrats. And the fact that he could be charged again against Adams can make him appear to the Trump administration.
Federal law enforcement officials called orders to rescind “terrifying” and “just transparent corruption.”
In 2021, former New York Police Captain Mayor Adams was charged with unsealed charges in September, and received campaign contributions from foreigners, committed wire fraud and bribery, and made campaign contributions from foreigners. Count and accept one count seeking and fed.
The indictment accused him of $100,000 worth of free plane tickets and a luxury hotel for staying with wealthy Turkish citizens and at least one government employee.
Adams pleaded not guilty. He said he was innocent and the accusation would be politically motivated and would fight the accusation.
Trump suggested on December 16 that he would consider pardoning Adams, saying that he was “treated quite unfairly” and that he should look at the incident “because he doesn’t know the facts.” did.
Adams met with Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, days before Trump was launched as president. He said they discussed many topics but “we didn’t discuss my legal cases.” Adams later attended Trump’s inauguration.
Adams’ attorneys contacted Justice Department leaders later last month.
Adams was elected president of the Brooklyn Borough in 2013 before being elected mayor of New York. Biden-appointed US lawyer Damien Williams said Adams is allegedly seeking contributions to his time as president of the borough.
Adams ran for the mayor on a platform to fight crime, beating Republican candidate Curtis Swa, who founded Guardian Angels of the 1970s.
Williams announced his resignation in December after Trump won the election.
In the announcement of the criminal charges, Williams said Adams allowed him to open Manhattan skyscrapers without fire inspection as part of his alleged bribery.
“Adams placed the interests of his benefactors above his constituents, including foreign officials,” Williams said at the time.
Adams’ attorney Spiro said Monday that “the mayor never used his official position for personal gain and he had no role in violating the Campaign Finance Act.”
