Senior officials at the Department of Justice have reportedly held discussions with federal prosecutors in Manhattan about the possibility of dropping the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The conversations come as the Democratic mayor has been cozying up to President Donald Trump in recent months.
The conversations came after one of Adams' attorneys contacted the Justice Department with a plea to drop the case, a move that is not unusual for such a high-profile defendant like the mayor. The discussions were first reported by The New York Times. So far, there is no indication that officials at the Southern District are inclined to drop the case.
Alex Spiro, who leads the defense team and is also Elon Musk's personal lawyer, observed to department officials that Trump has criticized the case. Two people familiar with the matter also said the defense lawyer has suggested the mayor would not be inclined to cooperate with the president's immigration crackdown if he remained under indictment.
Spiro himself, however, denied he made such suggestions, telling The New York Times "that is a complete lie."
Adams is facing a give-count bribery case that he and President Trump have characterized as political retribution from the Biden administration for his criticisms of the former president's handling of immigration. He pleaded not guilty in September, Politico reports.
Prosecutors allege that Adams received plane fare and luxury hotel stays worth more than $100,000 from wealthy Turkish nationals and at least one government official in a yearslong corruption scheme that began after Adams became the Brooklyn borough president in 2014, according to NBC News.
If Adams is ultimately found guilty in those charges, Trump has the power to pardon him. But if prosecutors were to dismiss the case entirely, it could allow Adams to insist on his innocence to voters as he seeks another term as mayor, while allowing the president to avoid controversy for what some could deem as an unnecessary pardon.
The discussions come as Adams has avoided criticizing the president, traveled to Florida to dine near Mar-a-Lago and attended his inauguration at the expense of several Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in New York City.
The mayor also sat down for an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, where he criticized the Biden administration's immigration policy. Adams told Carlson, a former Fox News host and well-known ally of Trump, that Biden and his aides told him to tone down his comments and deal with an influx of migrants to help the party in the November elections.
"Basically, be a good Democrat, Eric," Adams said. "That was the basic overall theme."
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