An attorney for New York Democrat Mayor Eric Adams on Monday asked a Manhattan judge considering whether to drop federal charges against him to accelerate the process as a filing deadline looms for this year's mayoral election.
Attorney Alex Spiro cited in a letter to U.S. District Judge Dale Ho, a Joe Biden appointee who must sign off on dropping the charges, a Thursday deadline for Adams to file required petitions to appear on the ballot for the June 24 Democrat mayoral primary.
"We respectfully write to alert the Court that Mayor Adams' petitions for his candidacy for mayor are due Thursday," Spiro wrote. "We urge the Court consistent with its own comments to promptly reach a decision in this matter."
Adams in September pleaded not guilty to federal charges of bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals.
Spiro's letter noted that on Feb. 14, the Department of Justice moved to dismiss the indictment, and four days later, Adams filed his consent for the DOJ's action. Spiro wrote that Ho held a hearing Feb. 19 on the government's motion during which Ho said, "It's not in anyone's interest here for this to drag on … not in the government's interest, not in Mayor Adams' as the defendant, and it's not in the public's interest."
With the DOJ and Adams agreeing the case should be dismissed, Ho postponed the trial indefinitely and appointed an outside attorney, Paul Clement, to provide the court with an independent analysis. Clement on March 7 recommended in a court filing that the case be dismissed with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be brought again.
The Trump administration initially sought to drop the charges temporarily, with an option to relitigate after the mayoral election Nov. 4.
"Now, with the petition-filing deadline just days away, we respectfully urge the Court to issue its decision as soon as practicable," Spiro wrote.
Adams' chances of being reelected to a second term appear slim. In a poll released last week, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is favored by 38% of voters, with socialist New York state Rep. Zohran Mamdani second at 10% and Adams third at 8%. Adams suggested Sunday in an interview with New York's WBLS-FM that voters will be sympathetic to his cause once the charges are tossed.
"Our entire success in the city has been overshadowed by not only having over 230,000 migrants and asylum seekers that were sent to our city, but also those bogus charges that my attorney has fought and even the current Department of Justice has pointed out how problematic they are," Adams said. "I ask people, Don't look at the last 15 months. Look at the last 40-plus years.
"People know me from the city, from the reforms I fought for in the police department, to what I did as a [state] senator, as [Brooklyn] borough president, the first person of color to hold that position, and the second person of color to be mayor. Look at my legacy."
Judges typically do not announce in advance when they make rulings. Newsmax reached out to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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