Mayor Adams thanked President Trump’s Division of Justice on Tuesday for shifting to dismiss his public corruption indictment, saying the weird step places an finish to “the most difficult” interval in his life.
“I thank the Justice Department for its honesty,” Adams mentioned at Metropolis Corridor in his first public remarks for the reason that DOJ ordered the Manhattan U.S. lawyer’s workplace to drop his legal case late Monday night time.
“This case,” the mayor added, “will no longer continue.”
The Division of Justice’s memo, nonetheless, left open the potential of it returning. Emil Bove, Trump’s former private protection lawyer and now-No. 2 on the Division of Justice, wrote in a Monday night time memo to the Manhattan U.S. lawyer’s workplace that the case towards the mayor must be dismissed “without prejudice,” that means it may very well be introduced again at a later time.
Bove directed the Manhattan U.S. lawyer’s workplace to after November’s mayoral election launch a “review” into whether or not the Adams case must be introduced again. Within the interim, Bove wrote the Division of Justice is taking no stance on the “strength” of the case towards the mayor.
Adams mentioned in his live-streamed six-minute speech that he’s seeking to put his authorized woes within the rearview.
“It’s time to move forward,” he mentioned.
“But despite the fact that I am no longer facing legal questions, I also understand that many New Yorkers will still question my character, and I know that I must continue to regain your trust. I have learned a lot over the last year and this experience has been humbling.”
Adams delivered the speech just about from the Metropolis Corridor Blue Room with out reporters current to ask questions. He gave the remarks instead of his regular weekly press convention.
The performing Manhattan U.S. lawyer, Danielle Sassoon, had but to file a movement for dismissal in response to Bove’s request as of early Monday afternoon. A spokesman for her didn’t instantly present remark. If Sassoon recordsdata a movement for dismissal, Manhattan Federal Courtroom Choose Dale Ho, who presides over Adams’ case, should approve it for it to take impact.
In his Monday night time submitting, Bove wrote the Trump administration expects the dismissal of the case towards the mayor will allow him to be more practical in engaged on immigration points, a essential difficulty for the Republican president.
“The pending prosecution has unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration,” he wrote. “We’re notably involved in regards to the affect of the prosecution on Mayor Adams’ capability to help essential, ongoing federal efforts ‘to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement.’”
Trump, who promised on the 2024 campaign trail to launch “mass deportations” across the country, has since taking office last month dispatched federal agents to perform coordinated immigration raids in U.S. cities, including New York and Chicago, that have so-called “sanctuary laws.”
The laws limit the ways in which local officials can cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Adams, who has for months sought to foster close ties with Trump, started after his indictment last year to lament the city’s sanctuary legal guidelines, arguing they stop metropolis officers from serving to the feds go after immigrants accused of great crimes. He has mentioned he’s contemplating utilizing govt order to roll again a few of the sanctuary legal guidelines and simply earlier this week launched new steerage saying metropolis workers ought to “not interfere” with federal immigration authorities in the event that they attempt to entry to metropolis properties like hospitals and shelters.
Initially Printed: February 11, 2025 at 12:44 PM EST
