NEW YORK — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has indicated she will investigate the lack of progress in dropping the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. This announcement comes just two days after a senior official from the Justice Department instructed federal prosecutors to abandon the case.
During a press conference on Wednesday evening, Bondi mentioned she was unaware that the charges had not yet been dismissed. She also noted that she had not communicated directly with the acting U.S. Attorney, Danielle Sassoon, who is currently managing the case. However, other senior officials within the department have reportedly spoken to Sassoon regarding the order to dismiss the charges.
Bondi asserted, “So that case should be dropped. I did not know that it had not been dropped yet, but I will certainly look into that.” In a memo issued on Monday, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructed Sassoon to write off the charges against Adams “as soon as is practicable,” citing that the case appeared to be politically driven and was hindering the mayor’s role in supporting the Trump administration’s efforts concerning crime and immigration enforcement.
In the time since Bove’s memo, both Adams and his legal spokesperson have communicated confidence that the accusations—which entail bribery and illegal campaign donations—would be permanently resolved. Nonetheless, the Justice Department’s memo left an option for reintroducing the case next fall after further examination.
As of late Wednesday evening, prosecutors had not completed the necessary legal paperwork to initiate the dismissal process. According to Bove’s memo, for the case to be formally dropped, Adams would first need to acknowledge that the charges may be reinstated at any time. Adams’ attorney confirmed that the mayor had yet to sign any paperwork concerning the potential dismissal.
Sassoon has remained silent in public since the directive from the Justice Department was disclosed. Up until now, New York prosecutors had expressed their belief in the robustness of their case, indicating that they had uncovered new evidence of misconduct involving Adams.
Sassoon’s ability to defy the Justice Department’s orders could be restricted, as the Attorney General has the authority to remove U.S. attorneys, meaning any resistance to directives from Washington could result in personnel changes.
At a press conference on Wednesday morning, Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, touted a sense of victory, stating his belief that the case would not be revisited. He insisted, “There is no looming threat. This case is over. It will not be brought back,” emphasizing that despite sensational claims, there was no legal breach by the mayor.
Bove’s memo noted that the decision to close the case was made without thoroughly evaluating the evidence’s strength. He also indicated the examining of the case should revisit the matter in November, after the mayoral elections.
These atypical conditions have elicited doubts from several Democratic figures and strong criticism from Adams’ rivals in the party’s primary, who argue that the mayor may have compromised by supporting Trump’s stringent immigration policies in exchange for the charges being dropped.
Spiro refuted any claims that Adams had made such concessions, yet he recognized that discussions on various policy topics, including immigration, took place between the mayor’s legal team and the Justice Department’s officials in advance of the directive to discontinue the case.
Adams had previously pleaded not guilty in September to accusations that included receiving illegal campaign contributions from foreign entities and accepting around $100,000 worth of free or significantly discounted international travel and accommodations from individuals seeking favor.
Prosecutors contended that he directed his campaign staff to solicit donations from foreign nationals, which is prohibited by federal regulations. The contributions were reportedly disguised to enable Adams to qualify for a city-sanctioned program that offers substantial public funding to match small donations. His trial is set to commence in April, although that timeline appears increasingly questionable.
