The Rev. Al Sharpton, a longtime ally of Mayor Adams, is convening top Black elected leaders from New York to “decide where we will go” amid concerns President Trump’s Department of Justice is effectively holding the mayor “hostage” due to the terms of its order instructing prosecutors to drop the mayor’s corruption case, Sharpton said Tuesday.
Between now and the weekend, Sharpton and the leaders, including Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Gregory Meeks, state Sen. Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Attorney General Letitia James, along with clergy leaders from the city, will weigh their options concerning the mayor, including possibly calling on him to resign.
“We have clearly crossed the Rubicon,” Sharpton said.
A loss of support among the Black leadership of the Democratic Party could prove a sharp blow to Adams as he faces a packed field of contenders for the Democratic mayoral nomination.
When Adams was indicted in September on federal corruption charges that he carried out favors for the Turkish government in exchange for bribes and illegal campaign contributions, Sharpton defended him, saying Adams should stay in office as the legal process moved forward.
But after the memo ordering prosecutors to dismiss Adams’ corruption charges in part so he can better focus on Trump’s immigration agenda, Sharpton took a sharper tone. The reverend said the mayor’s leadership has been undermined by Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove’s memo, which left open the possibility of reviving the mayor’s case at a later date.
“It is unheard of in a criminal justice proceeding to suggest you not deal with the criminal allegations for political or policy reasons,” Sharpton said.
“So if the mayor were to disagree with the president, does that mean they have the right to call a trial on him at any time? It certainly sounds like President Trump is holding the mayor hostage.”
Sharpton also criticized the mayor Tuesday for claiming former U.S. Attorney Damien Williams, the first Black man to hold that role, used his post to politically target him.
“As much as I am a friend and supporter of Eric Adams, I do not believe in disparaging another Black man who rose up in the ranks in this case,” Sharpton said.
Adams in a livestreamed video address on Tuesday thanked the Justice Department for its “honesty” and claimed he did nothing wrong.
“Now we can put this cruel episode behind us to focus entirely on the future of our city,” the mayor said in the speech.
His lawyer, Alex Spiro, said in a statement late Monday that the DOJ’s move amounted to an exoneration of the mayor. “The facts of the case are clear: The mayor never used his official position for personal benefit,” Spiro said.
Adams has pleaded not guilty of all charges, and he was set to stand trial in April.