On September 25, 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on charges of bribery, conspiracy, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. The crimes dated to his time as Brooklyn Borough President.

On February 10, 2025, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered the U. S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York to drop the case against Adams. In a memo to Acting U. S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, Bove claimed the indictment was irrevocably tainted by the appearance of retaliation for Adams' opposition to former President Joe Biden's immigration policy. He also claimed that the charges interfered with Adams' bid for a second term, and also prevented Adams from fully supporting President Donald Trump's immigration policy. Bove admitted he made this decision without reviewing the merits of the case.

Sassoon resigned rather than comply with the directive. In a scathing letter to newly sworn-in Attorney General Pam Bondi, Sassoon claimed that Adams' lawyers had "repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo." Specifically, she claimed that Adams' lawyers had indicated their client would be only willing to "assist with the Department (of Justice)'s enforcement priorities" if the charges were thrown out. 

Bove claims that no such quid pro quo motivated this memo. However, the fact that Adams--through his lawyers--even suggested this at all is outrageous. This may be standard operating procedure in the Third World, but is not acceptable here. It is rather ironic that in the name of helping a president who has repeatedly vowed to "drain the swamp," Adams is willing to engage in swampy behavior of the worst type.

There is every reason to believe Sassoon is telling the truth. First, she is not a "deep state" Democrat. She is an ardent Republican and a member of the Federalist Society who clerked for Antonin Scalia. Second, according to former acting DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg, who spent all but a few years from 1990 to 2017 working for the DOJ in various capacities, it is almost unheard of for DOJ officials to put objections in writing. In 2019, he told Rachel Maddow that when DOJ officials "go to paper," they do so for the sake of the historical record in case things go wrong.

Something has already gone very wrong here. We should not have to ask whether the mayor of our largest city, the overseer of four percent of our nation's economy, even found it remotely acceptable to engage in such corrupt behavior. By using his lawyers to even suggest a quid pro quo, Adams has disqualified himself from holding public office.

Under New York state law, only one person can right this wrong--Governor Kathy Hochul. She has the power to remove mayors from office. According to New York magazine, the statute giving Hochul this power is somewhat vague, and requires her to give Adams "an opportunity to be heard." But if a former acting U. S. Attorney stating in writing that Adams demanded that the charges be dropped if he were to help Trump, what does?

There are certain questions we should not have to ask about our leaders. Adams' actions raise one of those questions. If he does not have the good sense to resign, Hochul must act and remove him in order to restore confidence and the rule of law.