Top Justice Department official orders prosecutors to drop charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams

Mayor's charges dropped

Photo: Mayoral Photography Office/Ed Reed via AP

This photo, released by Office of the New York Mayor, shows New York Mayor Eric Adams and senior administration officials holding an in-person media availability, at City Hall, Nov, 8, 2023.

A top official at the U.S. Department of Justice has ordered federal prosecutors to drop charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who has cultivated a warm relationship with President Donald Trump.

In a two-page memo obtained by The Associated Press, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, an alumnus of the Manhattan office that brought the case, said that the decision to dismiss the charges was reached without an assessment of the strength of the prosecution of the prosecution and was not meant to call into question the attorneys who filed the case.

But, Bove said, that the timing of the charges and “more recent actions” by the former U.S. attorney who led the office, Damian Williams, “have threatened the integrity of the proceedings, “including by increasing prejudicial pretrial publicity that risks impacting potential witnesses and the jury pool.”

The development comes after months of speculation that Trump's Justice Department would take steps to end the criminal case against Adams, who was accused of accepting bribes of free or discounted travel and illegal campaign contributions.

Trump had hinted at the possibility of a pardon in December, telling reporters that the mayor had been “treated pretty unfairly.” He had also claimed, without offering evidence, that Adams was being persecuted for criticizing former President Joe Biden’s policies on immigration.

After Trump’s inauguration, Adams’ lawyers had approached senior Justice Department officials, asking them to intervene and drop the case.