New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued an address to New Yorkers on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in response to a memo by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) dated Monday, Feb. 10, in which department officials directed “Acting U.S. Attorneys and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York” to drop, for now, the federal bribery and corruption charges brought against the mayor last year. Adams reduced the federal case to “a months-long saga” and an “unnecessary ordeal” for him, his family, and the City of New York.

 

The dismissal memo, written on the letterhead of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Deputy Attorney General’s office, was directed without prejudice, meaning charges could be brought forward at a later date. As reported, the mayor had his iphones and other devices seized by federal agents in November 2023 as part of the campaign finance investigation into his 2021 mayoral election campaign. The Acting U.S. Attorney General since Jan. 20 is Emil Bove.

 

During a live press conference at City Hall in Manhattan on Tuesday, Adams, who ran for mayor as a moderate Democrat and who is a former police officer, said, “As I said from the outset, I never broke the law, and I never would. I would never put any personal benefit above my solemn responsibility as your mayor. It is worth repeating the facts because many sensational and false claims have been made. So let me be clear, I never asked anyone to break the law on my behalf or on behalf of my campaign, never. And I absolutely never traded my power as an elected official for any personal benefit.”

 

On Monday, DOJ officials said the decision to dismiss the case was contingent upon certain conditions, writing in part, “(1) The defendant must agree in writing to dismissal without prejudice; (2) the defendant must agree in writing that he is not a prevailing party under the Hyde Amendment, Pub. L. 105-119 (Nov. 26, 1997); and (3) the matter shall be reviewed by the confirmed U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, following the November 2025 mayoral election, based on consideration of all relevant factors (including those set forth below).”

 

According to the Guttmacher Institute, the Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funds from covering abortion services for people enrolled in Medicaid, Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Amendment currently affects people in 34 states and the District of Columbia. The remaining 16 states, including New York, provide State funding for abortion coverage for people enrolled in Medicaid.

 

The DOJ memo, a copy of which has been viewed by Norwood News courtesy of CNN, continued, “There shall be no further targeting of Mayor Adams or additional investigative steps prior to that review, and you are further directed to take all steps within your power to cause Mayor Adams’ security clearances to be restored. The Justice Department has reached this conclusion without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based, which are issues on which we defer to the U.S. Attorney’s Office at this time.”

It continued, “Moreover, as I said during our recent meetings, this directive in no way calls into question the integrity and efforts of the line prosecutors responsible: for the case, or your efforts in leading those prosecutors in connection with a matter you inherited. However, the Justice Department has determined that dismissal subject to the above-described conditions is necessary for two independent reasons. First, the timing of the charges and more recent public actions by the former U.S. Attorney responsible for initiating the case have threatened the integrity of the proceedings, including by increasing prejudicial pretrial publicity that risks impacting potential witnesses and the jury pool.”

 

Last year, the mayor’s defense team had already argued the pretrial publicity point with federal prosecutors and had already moved once to have the case dismissed but the it was denied.

 

The memo continued, “It cannot be ignored that Mayor Adams criticized the prior Administration’s immigration policies before the charges were filed, and the former U.S. Attorneys public actions created appearances of impropriety that implicate the concerns raised in the Attorney General’s February 5, 2025 memorandum regarding Restoring The Integrity and Credibility of the Department of Justice, as well as in Executive Order 14147, entitled Ending The Weaponization Of The Federal Government.”

 

It continued, “These actions and the underlying case have also improperly interfered with Mayor Adams’ campaign in the 2025 mayoral election. See Justice Manual § 9- 85.500, entitled Actions that May Have an Impact on an Election. Second, 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.”

 

The memo continued, “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,’ as described in Executive Order 14165.”

 

It concluded, “Accomplishing the immigration objectives established by President Trump and the Attorney General is every bit as important — if not more so — as the objectives that the prior Administration pursued by releasing violent criminals such as Viktor Bout, the ‘Merchant of Death.’ Accordingly, based on these additional concerns that are distinct from the weaponization problems, dismissal without prejudice is also necessary at this time.”

Reacting to the dismissal, the mayor continued his address on Tuesday, saying, “No witness ever came forward publicly to make claims against me. None of the baseless threats from prosecutors of new charges and new evidence ever materialized, and this case will no longer continue. Psalms 34:1 says, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ So I thank the Justice Department for its honesty. Now, we can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of our city. It’s time to move forward.”

 

Adams added, “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’ve learned a lot over the last year, and this experience has been humbling. But as we have been dragged through this unfortunate prosecution, I never took my eyes off what was important, you and your family’s future, and because of that, our city government has never been stronger. Just look at the figures.”

 

He continued, “We have achieved record drops in crime, record increases in affordable housing, and the highest number of jobs in New York City history. And I want to repeat that, double-digit drops in shootings, homicides, and subway crimes, the most new housing built in a 3-year period ever, and the most jobs ever. We moved more than 185,000 migrants through our system and out of our care.”

 

The mayor added, “We helped put $30 billion back into the pockets of New Yorkers through direct assistance, and we enrolled more children than ever into early childhood education programs, while reducing the cost of childcare to less than one-tenth of what it was when we came into office for working families. We put thousands of new police officers on our streets and in our subways, and we connected thousands struggling with mental illness to services.”

 

He continued, “That’s right, hidden beneath all the shocking headlines full of rumors and accusations, all the innuendos and insinuations, the real news is that the women and men of my administration have delivered for the working people of New York, just like I promised we would. Those are the facts. Many people continue to feed whatever false narratives they want, but no one can dispute the numbers.”

 

Adams added, “Continuing to improve those numbers even more, month after month, and dedicating myself to the values and fights that New Yorkers believe in is how I will restore the faith in those who have lost it in me, and it will be how I reward the faith of those who believed in me [for] four years ago, giving hope again to all New Yorkers who want to see their city thrive.”

The mayor then said that if people wanted to know who he is, all they have to know about him is where he is from. “Who I am is not in the headlines, it is in my history,” he said. “It’s the same place as you, working class, struggling to survive, in love with this city, even when it lets us down. I grew up in a place where justice always seemed out of reach. My family was betrayed by a city that didn’t care enough about us, and that’s why I fought for you and will keep fighting for you, because I am you, and that is why you can trust me to keep moving this city forward.”

 

Adams concluded, “This has been the most difficult 15 months of my life, but my inspiration was knowing that I was fighting for the people of this city. So many of those people are still facing their own difficult challenges every day, just like my own mother did when she worked three jobs to raise six children. If you work hard enough, New York City should give you a chance to succeed. This is our great promise. This is my promise to you: hard work, real results, and a city and a mayor you can be proud of. Thank you, New York.”

 

Some mayoral candidates running to unseat Adams, and the mayor’s opponents have been critical of the case dismissal, announced under a second Republican Trump presidency. Even before it was annuonced, they questioned the rationale for at least one prior reported meeting held between the mayor and U.S. President Donald Trump at the latter’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida last month. Adams also reportedly received an invitation and attended the president’s inauguration last month in Washington D.C.

 

Democratic mayoral candidate Scott Stringer was heard being interviewed by ABC7 outside City Hall in Manhattan on Tuesday, telling the news outlet in the context of the case dismissal that he “can’t wait” to debate Adams [and probe further into the reasons why].

 

Stringer alleged the case dismissal was good news for only two people: Eric Adams and Donald Trump. “While the mayor has spent months currying favor with Trump, the rest of New York is left to deal with real problems: unaffordable housing, childcare costs, crime and disorder, and empty promises from Adams’s failed administration,” he said.

 

He continued in part, “While Trump’s DOJ has the power to drop these charges, New Yorkers — not the president — have the power to pick a new mayor and give the greatest city in the world a fresh start. With my experience reforming New York City, I believe I can be the leader that represents New Yorkers’ vision, competence, and hopes for the city. I will continue holding Eric Adams accountable and showing New Yorkers what we can achieve together.”

 

Meanwhile, prior to the mayor’s live address, another Democratic mayoral candidate, Whitney Tilson, was seen outside the gates of City Hall on Tuesday afternoon, holding a sign which read, “MISSING, Have YOU seen our mayor?” along with an image of Adams, seemingly suggesting Adams was keeping a low profile since news of the case dismissal was shared by news outlets on Monday night.

 

Another Democratic mayoral candidate, State Sen. Jessica Ramos (S.D. 13), who represents parts of Queens, asked Attorney General Letitia James to investigate any potential quid pro quo deal between Adams and Trump. “And if he did sell out New Yorkers for his own freedom, Gov. Hochul should remove him from office,” Ramos said. “We can’t have a mayor who won’t stand up for us.”

 

Meanwhile, Democratic mayoral candidate State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (S.D. 20) who represents parts of Brooklyn, questioned on Tuesday where former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been for the last month, amid rumors the latter is poised to jump into the mayoral race. “Trump has been in office for close to a month with policy after policy that hurts our city – and Cuomo has said nothing,” Myrie said. “That is not what leadership looks like.”

 

Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, also gave his reaction to news of the case dismissal on Monday night, writing, “There is no longer any doubt: Eric Adams has sold out immigrant New Yorkers to keep himself out of prison. And he will continue to sell out immigrants and all of New York City to repay his debt to Trump.”

 

He added, “The highly unusual intervention of Trump’s DOJ into this prosecution is further proof that the President has no regard for justice and will stop at nothing to spare his political allies from facing accountability. New Yorkers will keep paying the price for the Mayor’s callous disregard for our laws, as Adams looks out for his own future instead of the safety and well-being of every New Yorker.”

 

Meanwhile, New York Working Families Party co-directors, Jasmine Gripper and Ana María Archila, said of the situation, “Eric Adams only cares about Eric Adams. He’s exchanged over 8 million New Yorkers for a get-out-of-jail-free card. Now, he’s on the hook to do Donald Trump’s bidding for the rest of his days. While New Yorkers are worried about putting food on the table, paying their rent, and ICE raiding their places of worship and kids’ schools, Eric Adams is the puppet of a reckless president and his billionaire pals. New Yorkers deserve better. Luckily, June [Democratic Primary month] is just a few months away.”

The New York City Council Progressive Caucus co-chairs, City Council Member Shahana Hanif (C.D. 39), who represents parts of Brooklyn, and City Council Member Sandy Nurse (C.D. 37), who also represents parts of Brooklyn, along with vice co-chairs of the caucus, City Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez (C.D. 34), who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, and City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa (C.D. 10), who represents parts of Northern Manhattan, including Marble Hill, also gave their reaction.

 

“Yesterday’s memo delivers a crushing blow to the Mayor,” they wrote. “We learned what the price of loyalty is in Trump’s America and witnessed the complete collapse of the Adams administration’s credibility.”

 

They continued, “Our Mayor takes orders from the Trump White House and leaves New Yorkers to live in fear — parents afraid to send their kids to school, families terrified of ICE. We face a serious crisis in leadership. After years of scandals, cuts, fearmongering, and mismanagement, New Yorkers now have it in writing: this Mayor will put himself first. It’s a shameful day for New York City.”

 

Bronx and other elected officials were relatively silent on the case dismissal. Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15), who is rumored to be considering a run for governor and who has taken various verbal swipes at Gov. Kathy Hochul in recent months, said on Tuesday, “The Mayor of New York City has been compromised. The fear of a renewed federal prosecution after the 2025 election keeps him perpetually under the thumb of Donald Trump. The City of New York has been all but reduced to a subsidiary of the Trump Administration.”

 

For her part, the governor has not, to our knowlege, volunteered any comment on the situation, though she did respond to related questions on the matter by Pix 11 News on Tuesday. Meanwhile, sharing a Feb. 10 post by State Sen. Jennifer González-Rojas, which read, “Corrupt president 🤝 corrupt mayor. Eric Adams sold out NYC,” and which included a link to a disparaging HellGateNY story on the mayor,” State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), added, “Fully agree. And what exactly did he give up for it? Vulnerable New Yorkers will be finding out in the coming weeks. Shameful and cowardly.”

 

More reaction to follow.