NEW YORK (PIX11) — The U.S. Department of Justice is discussing the possibility of dropping the corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams, according to reports.
The New York Times is reporting that senior justice department officials under President Donald Trump have had talks with federal prosecutors in Manhattan about the possibility of dropping the case. DOJ officials have also reportedly been engaging in discussions with Adams' defense team since President Trump has taken office.
Political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said it's unusual for the DOJ to drop a case.
"The previous US attorney lodged this case,” Sheinkopf said. “Now the new administration, led by Donald Trump, is saying potentially 'no' let's get rid of the case. Is it likely? Or will it be a plea deal that allows the mayor to leave office and frankly go on with his life."
Adams was indicted in September on charges including bribery — accused of accepting luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals in exchange for political favors. The charges stem from a federal investigation into his 2021 mayoral campaign.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, which is leading the prosecution, has declined to comment on the matter. While Sheinkopf said talk of the case being dropped is pure speculation, he notes that Adams resigning could be a possibility.
"It would not be unlikely that having the case dropped might require him frankly to leave office and to resign,” Sheinkopf said. “That would not be unusual."
He added, "There's always the opportunity, too, for the local district attorney to not have to comply at all with what the U.S. attorney does and indict the mayor on another charge."
In recent weeks, Adams has spent time with President Trump including meeting with him at Mar-a-Lago and attending his inauguration last week. The president has indicated being open to pardoning Adams in his corruption case, which heads to trial in April.
“Anything can happen,” said Sheinkopf. “This resides largely under the control of the prosecutor, and we don't know really what the prosecutor is going to do."
As the future is uncertain for Adams, Sheinkopf believes the case being dropped could boost his chances of being re-elected in November.
"It increases the chances that Mayor Adams will run and be re-elected. Why? People will say ‘Wait a second’. If they drop the case, there's nothing to it,” he said.
PIX11 News reached out to the mayor's office for comment and was referred to his attorney, Alex Spiro, in which we are still waiting to hear back.
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