Eric Adams’ federal corruption charges dismissed

Over the past few months, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly insisted he is still running for reelection despite taking few concrete steps to do so. But now that Manhattan federal Judge Dale E. Ho moved to officially drop his corruption case Wednesday with prejudice – meaning prosecutors are barred from reviving the charges in the future – it’s really time to see whether Adams backs up his claims. 

Ho’s widely anticipated decision comes nearly a month after the lawyer Ho had appointed to deliver an independent argument on the case recommended that he permanently dismiss Adams’ corruption charges so the Trump administration can’t hold the threat of criminal charges over the mayor’s head. While there may very well still be political repercussions for Adams as he faces increasingly dismal reelection odds, the dismissal of the long-running federal corruption case puts an end to his legal troubles. Adams has always maintained that he did nothing wrong. “The case against Eric Adams should have never been brought in the first place – and finally today that case is gone forever,” Adams’ lawyer Alex Spiro said in a statement.

Briefly addressing reporters outside of Gracie Mansion Wednesday afternoon following his case’s dismissal, Adams expressed a similar sentiment, saying he’s happy that the city “can finally close the book on this and focus solely on the future.” 

In his 78-page decision, Ho gave no credence to the rationale that the Justice Department made to drop the case back in February. Ho called the DOJ’s assertion that the case has been politicized “unsupported by any objective evidence,” and noted that the timing of the indictment in relation to an upcoming election was “entirely consistent with prior public corruption prosecutions.” On the DOJ’s argument that the proceedings against Adams interfered with his ability to govern – and in particular to coordinate with the federal government on public safety and immigration enforcement – Ho called the assertion “similarly unsubstantiated.” On the contrary, Ho suggests, in announcing soon after the DOJ's request for dismissal that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would reopen its office at Rikers Island, Adams refuted the DOJ’s own argument that the case prevents him from taking action on immigration. “Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the Indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,” Ho writes.

Despite not seeing merit to the DOJ’s arguments, Ho ruled in favor of dismissing the case because it’s not the court’s role to prosecute. “A court cannot force the Department of Justice to prosecute a defendant,” he writes. Additionally, Ho cited the court’s role to protect the rights of the defendant, explaining that dismissing the case without prejudice – as the DOJ originally sought – would allow the charges to be used as leverage over Adams, which is why he ruled to dismiss the charges with prejudice instead.

Some of Adams’ mayoral opponents expressed approval at the ruling to drop the case with prejudice. “I think there should be a trial, let me be clear,” said city Comptroller Brad Lander. “But if there is going to be a dismissal, a dismissal with prejudice is far superior to a dismissal without prejudice.” State Sen. Zellnor Myrie said in a statement: “This is the right move by Judge Ho.”

“You know what? I’m going to win.”

A handful of people in the mayor’s orbit have said they believe that what Adams does in the coming days and weeks – now that he is free of the shadow of his criminal case – will shed light on his plans for the future. Specifically, he’ll hit the campaign trail. Adams too has alluded to this. And following the conclusion of his remarks at Gracie Mansion Wednesday afternoon, he stopped part way up the stairs to answer a single question lobbed his way. “I’m running for reelection, and you know what? I’m going to win,” Adams told reporters.

Frank Carone, Adams’ former chief of staff who remains a close ally, has also said as much. “As soon as he puts this matter behind him, he’s going to freely discuss what his intentions are and he’s going to speak of his record, his passion, and what he’s done for everyday New Yorkers,” Carone said during a March 25 interview with NY1.

Speculation and doubt had spread over the past couple of months about whether Adams does indeed plan to still run for reelection. As far as the evidence goes, it’s true that Adams has taken few steps to assemble the infrastructure needed to mount a serious campaign – at least so far. He only just hired a campaign spokesperson, his recent fundraising hauls have been anemic, he’s been deemed ineligible to receive public matching funds, a number of his endorsers in 2021 are now backing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, he hasn’t held any campaign events, and he’s yet to participate in any forums. (The latter Adams previously attributed to his lawyer who he says advised him to avoid political forums until his case was settled.) Campaign filings show that the mayor did hire paid petitioners to get on the ballot.

Other external factors like poor polling and a crowded field of competitive challengers, have also cast doubt on whether Adams truly will remain in the race. While he’s also insisted multiple times that he is running as a Democrat, he also recently didn’t rule out the possibility that he was considering an independent run.

Of course, running for mayor as an incumbent is very different from running as a new candidate. Most New Yorkers know who Adams is already. There’s not a need to build name recognition and push policies as he has a natural platform already to do both of these things as mayor. 

“I’m a solid, solid campaigner. I know how to articulate a message that’s clear and crisp,” Adams told reporters last month. I’m going to enjoy every moment of selling my product to the people of this city, how I made life better for New Yorkers. That’s what I’m going to do.”