After legal reprieve, Adams faces criticism from all sides over alliance with Trump
The president’s Justice Department has taken steps to exonerate the New York City mayor, yet critics contend that he remains accountable.
TroibNews 
NEW YORK — Rivals of Mayor Eric Adams, along with some former allies, criticized him on Tuesday, arguing that his legal relief could ultimately harm New Yorkers.
“Eric Adams sold you out. He sold you out! And what’s remarkable is we don’t even know the price,” state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who is running for mayor, stated during a press conference on Tuesday morning.
Myrie urged the federal judge overseeing Adams’ corruption case to reject the Department of Justice’s directive from Monday to dismiss the case, asserting that the judge should appoint a special prosecutor to continue the proceedings.
He wrote in a letter to Judge Dale Ho that the move to dismiss the case without prejudice—which would allow for the same charges to be brought again—“is not a reprieve for Mr. Adams. It is a gun to the head of the legitimate democratic governance of the City of New York. The DOJ’s message is clear: assent to President Donald Trump or face renewed criminal charges.”
Other politicians contesting Adams in the upcoming June Democratic primary echoed Myrie’s sentiments.
City Comptroller Brad Lander referred to Adams' actions as “rank corruption” but expressed a preference for the case to be dismissed without conditions. In contrast, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sent out a memo stating that Manhattan prosecutors should assess the case after Election Day.
“Every single day, [Adams] is going to be looking over his shoulder before he makes decisions about whether to join a lawsuit against the freezing of federal funding,” Lander remarked. “That's not a distraction, it's a danger. … It puts the mayor on a tether to Donald Trump every time he harms or threatens New York City.”
Bove’s memo highlighted Adams’ collaboration with immigration enforcement as a reason for dismissing the case. He noted that Trump’s Department of Justice was “particularly concerned about the impact of the prosecution on Mayor Eric Adams’ ability to support critical, ongoing federal efforts ‘to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement.’”
The specific nature of the “support” sought from the Trump administration remained unclear, but the memo referenced a Trump executive order on border security, which called for pursuing criminal charges for immigration law violations and detaining individuals suspected of such violations until they could be deported.
Adams has voiced his opposition to mass deportation policies, which could endanger hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. However, he may find himself unable to resist the Trump administration's influence, and if he appears too compliant, his opponents are likely to seize the opportunity.
The mayor has asserted that federal prosecutors have charged him with corruption as retaliation for his criticisms of the Biden administration’s border policies, which led to a surge of migrants arriving in the city. Currently, he claims to agree with Trump’s initiatives to combat violent crime, but a broader deportation strategy poses a political challenge for him.
The potential for increased immigration enforcement has raised concerns for Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, which supports organizations aiding migrants.
“Regardless of what the current city and state laws provide for, New York City now under Mayor Adams and President Trump is for all intents and purposes no longer a sanctuary city,” she stated in an interview.
Austin collaborates closely with Al Sharpton, who described Bove’s memo as “political blackmail.”
“If the Mayor were to disagree with the President, does that mean they have the right to call a trial on him at any time? It certainly sounds like President Trump is holding the Mayor hostage,” Sharpton expressed in a statement.
Sharpton had previously supported Adams but indicated his loyalty may waver as the mayor seeks reelection. He plans to meet soon with leading Black elected officials to discuss their course of action, according to PMG.
Several past allies of Adams have also turned against him.
City Council Member Shaun Abreu, who backed Adams in 2021 alongside his political mentor, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, once an undocumented immigrant himself, has now called for the mayor's resignation.
“The only thing worse for our city than Trump giving the mayor a get-out-of-jail-free card is the unspoken deal that comes with it,” Abreu remarked on X. “Our mayor shouldn’t be beholden to anyone but the voters.”
In a video address on Tuesday, Adams expressed no worries about the Trump administration’s directive, failing to acknowledge the president's role in his current situation.
“I thank the Justice Department for its honesty,” he said. “Now you can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of our city.”
His spokesperson, Kayla Mamelak Altus, dismissed claims that Adams was being pressured to back Trump’s agenda regarding the “largest deportation effort in the history of our country.”
“Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, New York City has become a national model for what handling a humanitarian crisis humanely should look like,” she added, highlighting his efforts to shelter more than 230,000 migrants over the past three years.
Mamelak Altus further noted that the mayor has emphasized shared priorities with Trump, such as “going after the violent offenders who are wreaking havoc on our streets and ensuring they leave our city after being convicted of a crime and serving a jail sentence.”
Adams’ dedication to New York’s sanctuary city status may face scrutiny this week as Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, is scheduled to meet with Adams on Thursday to discuss the city’s cooperation on deporting alleged gang members.
“I’m coming up there Thursday to meet with the mayor,” Homan asserted in a radio interview. “Either he comes to the table or we go around him, but he promised he's all in on arresting public safety threats who are here illegally.”
He emphasized that Attorney General Pam Bondi is already pursuing legal action against sanctuary cities, threatening to withdraw federal funding from them.
“Let’s hope the sanctuary cities open their eyes and help us remove public safety threats from their communities,” he added.
Mamelak Altus chose not to respond to Homan’s comments.
Even Gov. Kathy Hochul, one of Adams’ staunchest supporters, expressed caution regarding the situation.
“Do I think he’s compromised? That is speculation, I don’t know, I don’t know whether anyone is compromised in that situation, I truly do not know,” she stated at an unrelated press conference on Tuesday. "I have to believe that the mayor is going to put the interests of New York City first.”
Nick Reisman and Janaki Chadha contributed to this report.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
“Eric Adams sold you out. He sold you out! And what’s remarkable is we don’t even know the price,” state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who is running for mayor, stated during a press conference on Tuesday morning.
Myrie urged the federal judge overseeing Adams’ corruption case to reject the Department of Justice’s directive from Monday to dismiss the case, asserting that the judge should appoint a special prosecutor to continue the proceedings.
He wrote in a letter to Judge Dale Ho that the move to dismiss the case without prejudice—which would allow for the same charges to be brought again—“is not a reprieve for Mr. Adams. It is a gun to the head of the legitimate democratic governance of the City of New York. The DOJ’s message is clear: assent to President Donald Trump or face renewed criminal charges.”
Other politicians contesting Adams in the upcoming June Democratic primary echoed Myrie’s sentiments.
City Comptroller Brad Lander referred to Adams' actions as “rank corruption” but expressed a preference for the case to be dismissed without conditions. In contrast, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sent out a memo stating that Manhattan prosecutors should assess the case after Election Day.
“Every single day, [Adams] is going to be looking over his shoulder before he makes decisions about whether to join a lawsuit against the freezing of federal funding,” Lander remarked. “That's not a distraction, it's a danger. … It puts the mayor on a tether to Donald Trump every time he harms or threatens New York City.”
Bove’s memo highlighted Adams’ collaboration with immigration enforcement as a reason for dismissing the case. He noted that Trump’s Department of Justice was “particularly concerned about the impact of the prosecution on Mayor Eric Adams’ ability to support critical, ongoing federal efforts ‘to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement.’”
The specific nature of the “support” sought from the Trump administration remained unclear, but the memo referenced a Trump executive order on border security, which called for pursuing criminal charges for immigration law violations and detaining individuals suspected of such violations until they could be deported.
Adams has voiced his opposition to mass deportation policies, which could endanger hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. However, he may find himself unable to resist the Trump administration's influence, and if he appears too compliant, his opponents are likely to seize the opportunity.
The mayor has asserted that federal prosecutors have charged him with corruption as retaliation for his criticisms of the Biden administration’s border policies, which led to a surge of migrants arriving in the city. Currently, he claims to agree with Trump’s initiatives to combat violent crime, but a broader deportation strategy poses a political challenge for him.
The potential for increased immigration enforcement has raised concerns for Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, which supports organizations aiding migrants.
“Regardless of what the current city and state laws provide for, New York City now under Mayor Adams and President Trump is for all intents and purposes no longer a sanctuary city,” she stated in an interview.
Austin collaborates closely with Al Sharpton, who described Bove’s memo as “political blackmail.”
“If the Mayor were to disagree with the President, does that mean they have the right to call a trial on him at any time? It certainly sounds like President Trump is holding the Mayor hostage,” Sharpton expressed in a statement.
Sharpton had previously supported Adams but indicated his loyalty may waver as the mayor seeks reelection. He plans to meet soon with leading Black elected officials to discuss their course of action, according to PMG.
Several past allies of Adams have also turned against him.
City Council Member Shaun Abreu, who backed Adams in 2021 alongside his political mentor, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, once an undocumented immigrant himself, has now called for the mayor's resignation.
“The only thing worse for our city than Trump giving the mayor a get-out-of-jail-free card is the unspoken deal that comes with it,” Abreu remarked on X. “Our mayor shouldn’t be beholden to anyone but the voters.”
In a video address on Tuesday, Adams expressed no worries about the Trump administration’s directive, failing to acknowledge the president's role in his current situation.
“I thank the Justice Department for its honesty,” he said. “Now you can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of our city.”
His spokesperson, Kayla Mamelak Altus, dismissed claims that Adams was being pressured to back Trump’s agenda regarding the “largest deportation effort in the history of our country.”
“Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, New York City has become a national model for what handling a humanitarian crisis humanely should look like,” she added, highlighting his efforts to shelter more than 230,000 migrants over the past three years.
Mamelak Altus further noted that the mayor has emphasized shared priorities with Trump, such as “going after the violent offenders who are wreaking havoc on our streets and ensuring they leave our city after being convicted of a crime and serving a jail sentence.”
Adams’ dedication to New York’s sanctuary city status may face scrutiny this week as Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, is scheduled to meet with Adams on Thursday to discuss the city’s cooperation on deporting alleged gang members.
“I’m coming up there Thursday to meet with the mayor,” Homan asserted in a radio interview. “Either he comes to the table or we go around him, but he promised he's all in on arresting public safety threats who are here illegally.”
He emphasized that Attorney General Pam Bondi is already pursuing legal action against sanctuary cities, threatening to withdraw federal funding from them.
“Let’s hope the sanctuary cities open their eyes and help us remove public safety threats from their communities,” he added.
Mamelak Altus chose not to respond to Homan’s comments.
Even Gov. Kathy Hochul, one of Adams’ staunchest supporters, expressed caution regarding the situation.
“Do I think he’s compromised? That is speculation, I don’t know, I don’t know whether anyone is compromised in that situation, I truly do not know,” she stated at an unrelated press conference on Tuesday. "I have to believe that the mayor is going to put the interests of New York City first.”
Nick Reisman and Janaki Chadha contributed to this report.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
