New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted on Tuesday that he never broke the law, as President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) the day before directed federal prosecutors in Manhattan to dismiss the corruption case against him.
In an address to New Yorkers, the mayor said he was relieved that the case was finally over, “ending a months-long saga that put me, my family, and this city through an unnecessary ordeal.
“As I said from the outset, I never broke the law, and I never would,” he said. “I would never put any personal benefit above my solemn responsibility as your mayor.
“It is worth repeating the facts because many sensational and false claims have been made,” he added. “So let me be clear, I never asked anyone to break the law on my behalf or on behalf of my campaign, never. And I absolutely never traded my power as an elected official for any personal benefit.”
Adams said no witness ever came forward publicly to make claims against him, and that “none of the baseless threats from prosecutors of new charges and new evidence ever materialized. And this case will no longer continue.”
In quoting Psalms 34:1, he said: “’I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.’
“So, I thank the Justice Department for its honesty,” he said. “Now we can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of our city,” Adams added. “It’s time to move forward.”
But he said that, despite the fact that he is no longer facing legal questions, many New Yorkers will still question his character.
“And I know that I must continue to regain your trust,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot over the last year, and this experience has been humbling.
“But, as we have been dragged through this unfortunate prosecution, I never took my eyes off what was important, you and your family’s future,” he added. “And because of that, our city government has never been stronger. Just look at the figures.”
The mayor said that, under his watch, there have been, among other things, “record drops in crime, record increases in affordable housing, and the highest number of jobs in New York City history.
“And I want to repeat that, double-digit drops in shootings, homicides, and subway crimes – the most new housing built in a three-year period ever, and the most jobs ever,” he said. “We moved more than 185,000 migrants through our system and out of our care…
“That’s right, hidden beneath all the shocking headlines full of rumors and accusations, all the innuendos and insinuations, the real news is that the women and men of my administration have delivered for the working people of New York, just like I promised we would,” he added. “Those are the facts. Many people continue to feed whatever false narratives they want, but no one can dispute the numbers.”
Adams said that, while the last 15 months were “the most difficult” of his life, his inspiration was knowing that he was “fighting for the people of this city.
“So many of those people are still facing their own difficult challenges every day, just like my own mother did when she worked three jobs to raise six children,” he said. “If you work hard enough, New York City should give you a chance to succeed.
“This is our great promise. This is my promise to you – hard work, real results, and a city and a mayor you can be proud of,” he added.
On Monday, Caribbean and other immigration advocates condemned Trump for his intervention in the federal case in which is accused of corruption.
The DOJ on Monday evening instructed federal prosecutors in the Southern District Court of New York to rescind the charges against Adams.
Federal prosecutors had indicted the mayor on five counts involving bribery conspiracy, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations.
In a memo dispatched to federal prosecutors, Emil Bove, an erstwhile prosecutor in the Southern District Court of New York and the DOJ’s acting second-in-command, instructed that there will be, for now, “no further targeting of Mayor Adams or additional investigative steps”.
But Murad Awawdeh, president and chief executive officer of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York, blasted the decision.
He accused Adams of betraying Caribbean and other immigrant communities by cozying up to Trump amid the president’s mass deportation agenda.
“There is no longer any doubt: Eric Adams has sold out immigrant New Yorkers to keep himself out of prison,” Awawdeh told Caribbean Life. “And he will continue to sell out immigrants and all of New York City to repay his debt to Trump.
“The highly unusual intervention of Trump’s DOJ into this prosecution is further proof that the president has no regard for justice and will stop at nothing to spare his political allies from facing accountability,” he added.
“New Yorkers will keep paying the price for the mayor’s callous disregard for our laws, as Adams looks out for his own future instead of the safety and well-being of every New Yorker,” Awawdeh continued.
The New York Civil Liberties Union also said that, “By dismissing the charges without prejudice, the Trump administration retains the option to refile charges and keeps open a channel to exert political pressure.
“By giving ground to Trump’s cruel immigration designs, Adams is betraying our communities,” it added in a statement. “New Yorkers must wonder whether the mayor’s personal interests and the city’s are now in indefinite conflict.”
However, the mayor’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, welcomed the DOJ’s action.
“I said from the outset, the mayor is innocent,” he said in a brief statement. “And he would prevail. Today he has.”
On Sunday, the New York Working Families Party (NYWFP) joined Caribbean immigration advocates and dozens of legislators in protesting Adams’s circulation of a memo directing city agencies to allow United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to search schools, the shelter system and other locations, if staff feels “threatened”, in view of Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
Immigration groups Make the Road New York and NYIC, as well as Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants, were among demonstrators at Tweed Courthouse in lower Manhattan demanding that Adams protect New Yorkers and Caribbean and other immigrants, and reject cooperation with President Trump’s “racist deportation agenda.”
Protesters rallied against Mayor Adams’s revision of the city’s sanctuary rules permitting ICE agents to conduct raids in city facilities.
Demonstrators said Adams’s action is “the latest in a series of moves cozying up to President Trump.”
They noted that the mayor attended Trump’s inauguration, visited his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and “committed to withhold criticism of Trump’s policies.”
On the heels of a recent visit by Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, protesters also said that Adams “expressed an openness to using executive orders to undermine decades-old sanctuary city laws.”
“Mayor Adams has betrayed us. He has betrayed our city’s sanctuary laws, immigrant families, and all New Yorkers,” NYWFP Co-Director Ana Maria Archila told Sunday’s rally. “He has created an environment that sows fears and panic. We stand with you. New Yorkers will not be complicit.
“Come June 24th, we will vote for a new mayor who represents all New Yorkers,” she added. “We are here today to send a very clear message: We will not allow Eric Adams to sell out your future and your safety. New York City is a proud sanctuary city. We say no! We protect us!”
Awawdeh said: “It’s clear, Mayor Eric Adams does not respect our laws.
“It’s one thing for Adams to waffle on his commitment to New York City’s sanctuary policies while cozying up to Trump; it’s entirely another when he sanctions his agency staff and city employees to completely disregard those same local laws when it suits them,” he added.
Manuel Ordonez, a leader at Make the Road New York, said: “I am here because my community is passing through moments that are horrifying. This is because of Donald Trump.
“Today, we are here to send a clear message to Eric Adams that he cannot collaborate with this Donald; he must not,” he said. “I expect my mayor to reverse this decision.”
Williams said “tons of city workers [are] trying to do their best without leadership from the mayor. You only need one of the five senses to know this mayor is compromised.
“We have an assistant to Donald Trump here – not a mayor,” he said. “The mayor should be the first one to be standing up to Donald Trump. He has either been quiet or made it worse than it needs to be.
“This is not about public safety – having undocumented community members feel afraid to participate – that makes us all unsafe,” Williams added.
New York State Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie, whose grandmother hailed from Jamaica, also told the rally that, while he is a lawyer by training, “you don’t need a lawyer to see that what the mayor is doing is not right.
“This is not a time for legal clarity; the law is clear. This is a time for moral clarity,” added the representative for the 20th Senate District in Central Brooklyn and a mayoral candidate.
“This is personal to me – when I was a kid, I had asthma, and my parents took me to Kings County (hospital in Central Brooklyn) shortly after they came to this country,” Myrie added. “No one asked questions, and I was able to get the care I needed, no questions asked.”
New York City Council Member Alexa Aviles, chair of the Council’s Immigration Committee, urged Adams to immediately rescind the memo to city agencies.
“Eric Adams, you must rescind – point blank,” she said. “The law is utterly clear: ICE employees, you are not welcome; we say no. We know you will try to come for us and our money.
“We will not roll back these laws; this city council will not be misconstruing,” Aviles added. “We stand with our city workers, who know the law and will follow the call. We welcome, we protect, and we serve our community.”
