Mayor Eric Adams arrives at U.S. District Courtroom in Decrease Manhattan for his court docket listening to on Feb. 19, 2025.
Picture by Dean Moses
A federal decide mentioned Wednesday that he would deliberate on whether or not to grant the Justice Division’s movement to dismiss Mayor Eric Adams’ federal corruption case after listening to arguments from each Adams’ authorized staff and high DOJ officers.
U.S. District Courtroom Choose Dale Ho grilled each officers with Trump’s DOJ and Adams’ authorized staff throughout a Wednesday afternoon listening to in Manhattan federal court docket on why the costs needs to be dropped.
Ho taking extra time earlier than making a call complicates issues for each Gov. Kathy Hochul and different high New York Democrats as strain mounts on them to take away Adams from workplace. Adams has confronted a torrent of backlash from fellow elected, fearful that he’s now within the thrall of Trump following the DOJ’s transfer to dismiss his case with out prejudice, that means it may resurrect the costs at any time.
It additionally places strain on a metropolis panel that could possibly be fashioned to oust Adams from workplace, often called the Committee on Mayoral Lack of ability. Nonetheless, there may be disagreement about whether or not the mayor’s present predicament counts as one thing the committee can weigh in on.
Protesters exterior Manhattan Federal Courtroom throughout Mayor Adams’ listening to on Feb. 19, 2025.Picture by Dean Moses
Regardless of the turmoil at Metropolis Corridor, Choose Ho maintained he would rigorously look at all arguments offered and render a call on his personal schedule.
“I’m going to take everything said today under consideration,” Ho mentioned in the course of the listening to. “I’m not going to shoot from the hip right now on the bench.”
Throughout the listening to, Choose Ho requested Adams, below oath, if he understood the phrases of the dismissal movement and that it was being sought “without prejudice,” that means that the Justice Division may resurrect the case in opposition to him at any time. The mayor mentioned he did.
Moreover, the decide requested Adams, once more below oath, if he had agreed to the phrases of the dismissal with out being coerced into settlement, and that he didn’t obtain any quid professional quo in alternate. Adams mentioned below oath he was neither coerced into settlement, nor did he settle for any cut price with prosecutors.
The listening to took roughly 90 minutes to finish. Afterward, Mayor Adams moved rapidly out of the courthouse and again right into a ready automobile with out taking questions from reporters.
Throughout the listening to, appearing Lawyer Common Emil Bove defined the details of his Feb. 10 memo that ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to dismiss the costs final week.
Bove repeated that the movement to dismiss was based mostly on the Trump Justice Division’s assertion that former Manhattan US Lawyer Damian Williams allegedly introduced the case for political causes. He additionally advised Choose Ho that the pending indictment prevented Adams from cooperating with Trump’s immigration crackdown particularly as a result of the mayor had sure safety clearances revoked on account of the case, which prevents him from taking part in sure activity forces liable for immigration enforcement.
The listening to follows former Manhattan US Lawyer Danielle Sassoon, in a bombshell letter final week, accusing each events of partaking in a quid professional quo. Sassoon charged that Adams’ authorized staff and the DOJ traded his cooperation with Trump’s deportation agenda for dropping the federal prices in opposition to him. Each Adams’ legal professional Alex Spiro and high DOJ officers deny Sassoon’s declare.
Throughout Wednesday’s listening to, Bove asserted that Mayor Adams’ under-oath statements that he didn’t settle for any cut price and isn’t below any coercion was proof that no quid professional quo exists.
