HALL OF CITY Amid a flurry of rumors regarding the federal lawsuit against him, Mayor Eric Adams stated Thursday that he has no plans to step down.
The Justice Department is thinking of dropping its corruption prosecution against the 110th mayor of the city, whose defense has been spearheaded by lawyer Alex Spiro, according to a New York Times story published on Wednesday.
At an annual interfaith brunch in Manhattan on Thursday, Adams, who made his first public appearances this week, struck a belligerent tone by declaring to a gathering full of political loyalists that he has no plans to step down.
The foolish rumor that I was resigning on Friday was started by whom? Have you gone insane? Adams questioned the audience.
Adams, who has denied any misconduct, described the case as a political assault from unidentified individuals who are angry that he is the city’s top official.
In September, former Southern District of New York US Attorney Damian Williams filed five charges against Adams for alleged corruption both before and after he was elected mayor.
Federal prosecutors specifically claim that Adams accepted a slew of bribes from Turkish citizens in return for the soon-to-be mayor’s reliance on FDNY officials to open Turkish House, a midtown Manhattan tower that houses several of the country’s diplomatic missions in the United States.
Williams resigned earlier this month to make way for President Donald Trump, and the new administration named Danielle Sassoon as the acting director of the Federal Prosecutor’s Manhattan office.
Senior Justice Department officials discussed the idea of dropping the case against Adams with the office’s new leadership, according to the Times.
Adams’ prosecution was condemned by Trump in October, and there have been rumors that the mayor is requesting a pardon from the newly elected president.
In October, Trump declared, “I understand what it’s like to be persecuted by the D.O.J. for speaking out against open borders.” Eric, we were persecuted. You are being persecuted, Eric, just like I was.
Although Trump has not formally indicated that he intends to pardon Adams, the mayor may benefit from the case’s dismissal in an election year where he is lagging behind Democratic rivals.
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