Mayor Adams Seeks Political Survival as Case Hearing Set

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is in the fight of his political life, as a judge set a hearing to weigh the Justice Department's dropping of a federal corruption case against him and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul met with the state's Democrat leaders to determine his fate.

Under pressure to examine the federal government's reasons for seeking to dismiss the case, Judge Dale E. Ho on Tuesday scheduled a hearing for 2 p.m. Wednesday in Manhattan federal court.

The New York Times reported that three former U.S. attorneys from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut filed a brief on Monday night, asking Ho to conduct an extensive inquiry to determine if the government's move to drop the prosecution was in the public interest or a pretext to secure Adams' cooperation with the Trump administration's migrant deportation operation.

In their brief, the former U.S. attorneys reportedly argued that there are more than a dozen questions that need to be answered before Ho can decide whether to dismiss the case "without prejudice."

"What is at stake here is far more than an internal prosecutorial dispute about an individual case," the former U.S. attorneys wrote. "The public furor that has arisen during the past week raises concerns about respect for the rule of law and the division of power between the executive and judicial branches of government in our nation."

Earlier on Tuesday, Common Cause, a government reform watchdog group, asked Ho to deny the Justice Department's motion, which it called part of a "corrupt quid pro quo bargain," and consider appointing an independent special prosecutor to the case.

The New York City Bar Association, which counts more than 20,000 lawyers as members, said in a statement that the directive from Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove III to prepare and file a motion to dismiss "cuts to the heart of the rule of law." The City Bar called for a "searching inquiry" into the facts.

In a two-page order, Ho did not give any indication about his position and stated that the executive branch, under a federal rule, is "the first and presumptively the best judge" of whether to end a prosecution.

He wrote that the government's discretion "should not be judicially disturbed unless clearly contrary to manifest public interest."

Adams, a Democrat, was indicted by the Biden administration last year on five counts, including bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign contributions. He pleaded not guilty and was set to go to trial in April.

Citing people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported that the heads of the New York State Legislature, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Gregory Meeks, City Comptroller Brad Lander, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton were scheduled to meet with Hochul on Tuesday to discuss removing Adams from office.

The Journal's sources said that another possibility for ousting the mayor would be convening a committee of city officials who would vote on Adams' ability to lead.

"Overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly," Hochul said in a written statement Monday. "That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored."

After meeting with Hochul, Sharpton said the governor is not making any decisions on Adams' future just yet.

"The governor said to me she is going to wait to see what the judge decides tomorrow and keep deliberating with other leaders," Sharpton told reporters. "My feeling is that the faith of the people of this city has been shaken, and there must be a resolve. But at the same time, we must protect the law and not establish a precedent that could come back to haunt us."

An Adams spokesperson told the Journal that the mayor has continued to serve the city despite his recent legal woes.

"Mayor Adams has been clear that his loyalty is solely to the 8.3 million New Yorkers he represents, and the mayor is always available to speak with the governor about how we can continue to deliver for them," the spokesperson said.