New York City Mayor Eric Adams dismissed calls for his resignation over accusations that he is engaging in a "quid pro quo" scheme with the Donald Trump administration, agreeing to help enforce its immigration crackdown in exchange for the dismissal of the charges against him.
Adams did so through a City Hall spokesperson, who said "Mayor Adams has been clear over and over again, he's not stepping down, he's stepping up."
Two top New York officials, however, are calling for Adams' resignation. New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado said the city "deserves a Mayor accountable to the people, not beholden to the President." "Mayor Adams should step down," he added in a social media publication.
State Senator Mike Gianaris issued a similar statement, saying that "the last thing the people of New York want is for our city to turn into an annex of the Trump administration, yet that's exactly what is happening."
"Eric Adams is clearly compromised and can no longer be considered the legitimate leader of our city. He must step down or be removed," Gianaris added.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul distanced herself from Delgado's statement, saying he "does not now and has not ever spoken on behalf of this administration." Hochul said she is not ruling out removing Adams from his post but is consulting with officials about next steps regarding the matter.
"The allegations are extremely concerning and serious, but I cannot as the governor of this state have a knee-jerk, politically motivated reaction like a lot of other people are saying right now," Hochul told MSNBC on Thursday. She is the only official in the state who can remove Adams from his post.
At least six senior Justice Department officials, including Manhattan's top federal prosecutor, have resigned so far as a result of the developments, choosing that option rather than complying with the Justice Department's order.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, who had been temporarily leading the prosecution of Adams, was among those who stepped down. In a scathing resignation letter, Sassoon stated that dismissing the charges in return for Adams' assistance on immigration policy would be "improper."
Sassoon accused the department of agreeing to a "quid pro quo," which entailed dropping the case to get Adams' help with Trump's immigration crackdown in exchange. "I remain baffled by the rushed and superficial process by which this decision was reached," Sassoon wrote in a passage of the letter addressed at Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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