Mayor Adams thanked President Trump’s Department of Justice on Tuesday for moving to dismiss his public corruption indictment, saying the unusual step puts an end to “the most difficult” period in his life.
“I thank the Justice Department for its honesty,” Adams said at City Hall in his first public remarks since the DOJ ordered the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office to drop his criminal case late Monday night.
“This case,” the mayor added, “will no longer continue.”
The Department of Justice’s move, however, left open the possibility of the case returning. Emil Bove, Trump’s former personal defense attorney and now-No. 2 at the Department of Justice, wrote in a Monday night memo to the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office that the case against the mayor should be dismissed “without prejudice,” meaning it could be brought back at a later time.
Bove also directed the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office to after November’s mayoral election launch a “review” into whether the Adams case should be brought back. In the interim, Bove wrote the Department of Justice is taking no stance on the “strength” of the case against the mayor.
Still, Adams said in his live-streamed six-minute speech that he’s looking to put his legal woes in the rearview.
“It’s time to move forward,” he said.
“But despite the fact that I am no longer facing legal questions, I also understand that many New Yorkers will still question my character, and I know that I must continue to regain your trust. I have learned a lot over the last year and this experience has been humbling.”
Adams delivered the speech virtually from the City Hall Blue Room without reporters present to ask questions. He gave the remarks in place of his usual weekly press conference.
The acting Manhattan U.S. attorney, Danielle Sassoon, had yet to file a motion for dismissal in response to Bove’s request as of early Monday afternoon. A spokesman for her didn’t immediately provide comment. If Sassoon files a motion for dismissal, Manhattan Federal Court Judge Dale Ho, who presides over Adams’ case, must approve it for it to take effect.
In his Monday night filing, Bove wrote the Trump administration expects the dismissal of the case against the mayor will enable him to be more effective in working on immigration issues, a critical issue for the Republican president.
“The pending prosecution has unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration,” he wrote. “We are particularly concerned about the impact of the prosecution on Mayor Adams’ ability to support critical, ongoing federal efforts ‘to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement.’”
Trump, who promised on the 2024 campaign trail to launch “mass deportations” across the country, has since taking office last month dispatched federal agents to perform coordinated immigration raids in U.S. cities, including New York and Chicago, that have so-called “sanctuary laws.”
The laws limit the ways in which local officials can cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Adams, who has for months sought to foster close ties with Trump, started after his indictment last year to lament the city’s sanctuary laws, arguing they prevent city officials from helping the feds go after immigrants accused of serious crimes. He has said he’s considering using executive order to roll back some of the sanctuary laws and just earlier this week released new guidance saying city employees should “not interfere” with federal immigration authorities if they try to access to city properties like hospitals and shelters.