Trump labels DOJ 'dirty players' following Adams indictment
The article discusses the unprecedented usage of the Justice Department and the FBI, highlighting the statement, "We have people that use the Justice Department and the FBI at levels that have never been seen before," he said.
TroibNews 
Donald Trump on Thursday criticized the Justice Department, labeling them as "dirty players" following the indictment of Eric Adams on charges of bribery and fraud. This comes as both Trump, a criminally convicted former president, and the beleaguered New York City mayor find themselves navigating similar legal troubles.
At a press conference held at Trump Tower in New York City, the former Republican president implied that Adams, a Democrat, was likely to face indictment after the mayor's comments on the Biden administration's handling of the migrant crisis that has affected the city significantly.
“I watched about a year ago when he talked about how the illegal migrants are hurting our city, and the federal government should pay us, and we shouldn't have to take them. And I said: You know what? He'll be indicted within a year. And I was exactly right,” Trump remarked. He further claimed, “Because that’s what we have — we have people that use the Justice Department and the FBI at levels that have never been seen before.”
In response, Adams hinted at similar forces at play within the DOJ.
“I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you that I would be a target, and a target I became,” he stated in a video released by his legal team on Wednesday night after his indictment became public.
While he refrained from explicitly connecting his legal issues to the tension between City Hall and the Biden administration over the migrant crisis, Adams indicated that these tensions may have influenced his charges. "I put people of New York before party and politics,” he noted.
The White House has denied any collaboration with the Justice Department regarding the case. President Joe Biden distanced himself from Adams nearly two years ago in light of the mayor’s criticism of the federal government’s response to the migrant issue.
Trump, who received a conviction in New York earlier this year on 34 counts of falsifying business records and currently faces three additional criminal investigations, drew comparisons between his own legal challenges and those faced by Adams. He suggested without proof that the Justice Department was acting in bad faith, even as the indictment of another prominent Democrat could undermine Trump’s claims that his political foes are weaponizing the legal system against him.
“I noticed the indictment’s very old. It goes back a long time. Well, I had the same thing, they went way before the statute of limitations,” Trump remarked. “That's what they do. These are dirty players. These are bad people. They cheat. These are bad people, and we need an honest Justice Department, we need an honest FBI, and we need it fast.”
Federal prosecutors have charged Adams with participating in a yearslong conspiracy to accept illegal foreign campaign contributions, alongside filing charges of wire fraud and bribery. A 57-page indictment unsealed on Thursday details extravagant trips and other benefits that the first-term mayor allegedly received from Turkish officials seeking to gain influence with him. Adams, the first sitting New York City mayor to face indictment, has not yet entered a plea but has maintained his innocence.
Coincidentally, on the same day Adams was charged, Trump’s attorneys returned to court in New York to appeal a civil fraud ruling that found him and his business empire liable for over $400 million.
Though Trump admitted he doesn’t know Adams "well," he noted that the mayor has “been fairly generous to me in his statements for a while.” As these two starkly different politicians confront similar legal predicaments, Trump expressed his thoughts saying, “I wish him well.”
Joe Anuta contributed to this report.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
At a press conference held at Trump Tower in New York City, the former Republican president implied that Adams, a Democrat, was likely to face indictment after the mayor's comments on the Biden administration's handling of the migrant crisis that has affected the city significantly.
“I watched about a year ago when he talked about how the illegal migrants are hurting our city, and the federal government should pay us, and we shouldn't have to take them. And I said: You know what? He'll be indicted within a year. And I was exactly right,” Trump remarked. He further claimed, “Because that’s what we have — we have people that use the Justice Department and the FBI at levels that have never been seen before.”
In response, Adams hinted at similar forces at play within the DOJ.
“I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you that I would be a target, and a target I became,” he stated in a video released by his legal team on Wednesday night after his indictment became public.
While he refrained from explicitly connecting his legal issues to the tension between City Hall and the Biden administration over the migrant crisis, Adams indicated that these tensions may have influenced his charges. "I put people of New York before party and politics,” he noted.
The White House has denied any collaboration with the Justice Department regarding the case. President Joe Biden distanced himself from Adams nearly two years ago in light of the mayor’s criticism of the federal government’s response to the migrant issue.
Trump, who received a conviction in New York earlier this year on 34 counts of falsifying business records and currently faces three additional criminal investigations, drew comparisons between his own legal challenges and those faced by Adams. He suggested without proof that the Justice Department was acting in bad faith, even as the indictment of another prominent Democrat could undermine Trump’s claims that his political foes are weaponizing the legal system against him.
“I noticed the indictment’s very old. It goes back a long time. Well, I had the same thing, they went way before the statute of limitations,” Trump remarked. “That's what they do. These are dirty players. These are bad people. They cheat. These are bad people, and we need an honest Justice Department, we need an honest FBI, and we need it fast.”
Federal prosecutors have charged Adams with participating in a yearslong conspiracy to accept illegal foreign campaign contributions, alongside filing charges of wire fraud and bribery. A 57-page indictment unsealed on Thursday details extravagant trips and other benefits that the first-term mayor allegedly received from Turkish officials seeking to gain influence with him. Adams, the first sitting New York City mayor to face indictment, has not yet entered a plea but has maintained his innocence.
Coincidentally, on the same day Adams was charged, Trump’s attorneys returned to court in New York to appeal a civil fraud ruling that found him and his business empire liable for over $400 million.
Though Trump admitted he doesn’t know Adams "well," he noted that the mayor has “been fairly generous to me in his statements for a while.” As these two starkly different politicians confront similar legal predicaments, Trump expressed his thoughts saying, “I wish him well.”
Joe Anuta contributed to this report.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
