New York Mayor Eric Adams may have just reaped the benefits of his anticipatory obedience to the Trump administration.
In a 78-page decision, U.S. District Judge Dale Ho has dismissed a federal corruption indictment against the mayor who once likened himself to Jesus because of all the trouble he was in.
From the Washington Post:
The judge’s decision, which ends the case as Adams seeks reelection, also discredited the rationale of a top Justice Department official for pursuing the dismissal. That official, Emil Bove, said the former head of the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office was politically motivated in bringing the case in September and did not cite compelling evidence.
U.S. District Court Judge Dale Ho wrote that “the timing of this case is entirely consistent with prior public corruption prosecutions” and that the Justice Department’s “‘appearance of impropriety’ rationale is not just thin, but pretextual.”
The judge rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to dismiss the case while also leaving the option open of reinstating corruption charges against Adams. Such a move was not supported by law and would violate Adams’s rights, the judge wrote.
Eric Adams was accused of taking bribes from Turkish business executives and at least one government official in the form of illegal campaign donations and luxury travel benefits. He was also accused of “the city’s matching campaign funds program by using illicit contributions to support his application.”
More from the Post:
Adams allegedly ordered the fire department to grant a safety approval to a new Turkish consular building in Manhattan, though it was not in compliance with safety codes.
The mayor has defiantly maintained that he did nothing improper or illegal. His lawyer Alex Spiro repeatedly belittled the case as nothing more than an “airline upgrade” matter related to the type of small perks that U.S. senators receive in their travels. Spiro has also denied that the mayor knew anything about illegal donation efforts.
Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official and former Donald Trump criminal defense attorney, pushed for the dismissal of the charges against Eric Adams in a February memo sent to federal prosecutors.
In the memo, Bove argued that Adams needed to be able to devote his “full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration.
“We are particularly concerned about the impact of the prosecution on Mayor Adams’ ability to support critical, ongoing federal efforts ‘to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement,” Bove wrote.
Bove also alleged — without proof of any kind — that the charges brought against Eric Adams by prior leadership in the U.S. attorney’s office were politically motivated.
Bove’s directive was met with the resignations of multiple federal prosecutors, including acting U.S. attorney Danielle Sassoon, who alleged in her resignation letter that Eric Adams had worked out some sort of quid pro quo deal with the Justice Department to have his charges dropped in exchange for his cooperation with federal immigration enforcement — an allegation that Adams and the Justice Department deny.
Oddly enough, as the Post notes, in the same week that Bove requested the charges against Eric Adams to be dropped, the mayor “met in New York with Trump border official Tom Homan and made a handful of immigration-related announcements. He also appeared friendly with Homan when they participated in a joint interview on Fox News.”
Eric Adams has done nothing but show himself not to be a good steward for the people of New York City but to be a political opportunist willing to sell himself and his constituents out if it means personal gain.
Where is that “Shame, Shame, Shame!” lady from Game of Thrones?
Eric Adams needs a shame walk right now.
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