A prominent DOJ official recently defended the Trump administration’s controversial decision to dismiss legal charges against Democratic New York Mayor Eric Adams. The official claimed that the investigation was yet another example of “political weaponization” within the Department of Justice. This move came after the DOJ instructed the Southern District of New York (SDNY) to drop its corruption case against Mayor Adams in February, citing Trump’s executive order that aims to tackle political weaponization within the justice system.
“This is really a civics lesson for the Deep State about implementing the agenda that the American people voted for,” stated the DOJ official during a press briefing. The suppression of this prosecution underscores a critical aspect of President Trump’s policy priorities: enforcing immigration laws. The official argued that Adams’s prosecution was an impediment to the Trump administration’s deportation efforts. The ongoing legal battle made it impossible for Adams to secure a necessary security clearance, thereby hampering his ability to assist the administration in immigration enforcement activities.
In another development, Adams was indicted in September on five federal charges related to illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral run. However, the DOJ official dismissed these charges as exaggerated. “The Mayor Adams case is essentially a case about airline upgrades and then a series of campaign contributions that SDNY alleges with just very, very little evidence that the mayor was directly aware of any of it,” he asserted, suggesting that the charges were politically motivated.
New: Judge Ho orders Eric Adams & DOJ officials to show up in court tomorrow to explain the dismissal of the bribery charges.
“The parties shall be prepared to address, inter alia, the reasons for the Government's motion, the scope and effect of Mayor Adams's "consent” …” pic.twitter.com/8NdCTbgmfH
— Frank G. Runyeon (@frankrunyeon) February 18, 2025
Currently, an investigation is underway to examine the actions of SDNY personnel who are accused of engaging in subversive, politically-driven activities. Former SDNY U.S. Attorney Damien Williams, who initiated the prosecution against Mayor Adams, has been a particular focus. Appointed as a law clerk for Merrick Garland, Williams transitioned to the law firm Paul, Weiss in January. “And as soon as he stepped down from the U.S. Attorney’s position, he basically started a campaign website promoting his work on this ongoing prosecution against Mayor Adams,” the official criticized, labeling Williams’s campaign as “wildly inappropriate.”
Although a judge ruled that Williams’s actions did not breach any court-imposed regulations, the DOJ retains the option to take further action against him. The official went as far as to compare Adams’ case to the prosecution of President Trump, describing it as another form of political weaponization. “I think in a lot of ways, the weaponization by SDNY against Mayor Adams looks like what happened to President Trump in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office case,” he commented.
Mayor Adams has been an outspoken critic of former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, suggesting that his legal troubles might be retribution for his criticisms. In 2023, he publicly warned that the migrant crisis could “destroy” New York City, underscoring the city’s struggles in managing the influx of migrants without federal support. Despite agreeing with some of Trump’s immigration policies, Adams has been slow to initiate widespread reforms.
The DOJ official emphasized that Adams’ prosecution has been a significant obstruction to the administration’s deportation efforts. “It’s very clear, based on the mayor’s public statements, that there are some areas where I think he’s very much in line with the President’s immigration agenda, and others where he’s not,” the official acknowledged, showing both commendation and concern for the mayor’s actions.
Democrats:
“Trump is a tyrant. He will politicize the DOJ to go after Democrats!”
Trump moves to dismiss questionable corruption charges against Democrat New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Democrats:
“Trump is a tyrant. He won’t politicize the DOJ to go after Democrats!”
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) February 18, 2025
Finally, the official contested allegations of a “quid pro quo” with Mayor Adams, clarifying that Adams is under no obligation to cooperate with DHS. “There’s nothing irregular about defendants entering into agreements with prosecutors,” he concluded. A hearing is scheduled to take place in New York to determine the direction of this contentious case further.