In the midst of a flurry of resignations and charges, as well as calls for New York City mayor Eric Adams to resign, his predecessor remains by his side.
Bill de Blasio is a former New York City Mayor and fellow Democrat who believes that the case against Adams shouldn’t have been brought. De Blasio, former New York City mayor and fellow Democrat, said that the charges against Adams, including allegations of bribery, campaign finance, were “flimsy” in an interview with CBS News on Friday.
De Blasio stated, “I thought from Day One that the charges against him are very weak.” “I know from my own experience that it is important to be mature enough to understand that just because a prosecutor makes a charge, doesn’t necessarily mean that the charges are true.”
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Emil Bove, sent a memo on Monday instructing the former New York U.S. attorney Danielle Sassoon to drop the five-count charge against Adams. Bove wrote in his memo that Adams’ ability “restricted her” to help the Trump Administration enforce its immigration policy was limited by the five-count indictment.
Sassoon was Manhattan’s leading career federal prosecutor up until Thursday. She was one of at least half dozen Justice Department officials who resigned after being instructed to drop the criminal case brought against Adams.
Adams, who denied any wrongdoing and pleaded to not guilty , was scheduled to stand trial in April. In a massive indictment filed in September, prosecutors said that Adams had abused his position for years by using his influence to get illegal campaign donations and free or discounted trips.
Sassoon, in a Thursday letter to the Attorney General, wrote that Adams’ lawyers had “urged what was amounted a quid-pro-quo,” offering the mayor cooperation in immigration enforcement priorities of the Trump administration in exchange for dismissal.
Adams’ attorney called this “a lie” and denied it in a Friday statement.
“I want it to be very clear to New Yorkers that I have never traded my position as their mayor in exchange for the end of my case. Nor has anyone offered to do so on my behalf. Never,” Adams said.
Adams announced on Thursday an executive order that allows federal immigration agents entry to the city’s Rikers island jail complex. This is a significant reversal in city policy. De Blasio, however, said that he was skeptical about the idea that such decisions are proof of a deal between the White House and the city.
De Blasio stated that he did not believe this was indicative of an agreement for a “quid pro quo.” He said the move was “consistent” with his prior positions, which had nothing to do his legal case.
“I have had some differences with Eric Adams but I’ve been friends for a long time. He served as a policeman for over 20 years. De Blasio stated that he understood the law. “I’m not surprised that he has a different view on immigration from the rest of us New York Democrats.”
De Blasio criticized the case, and the prosecutors involved. He said that the decision to bring the case to trial two months before the crucial Democratic primary in the city was irresponsible.
In her resignation letter, Sassoon noted, however, that the Justice Department indicted Adams previously. Sassoon stated that the Department of Justice had correctly determined that charging Adams nine months prior to a primary was appropriate.
De Blasio has been under investigation himself and knows the cost. He has survived his own federal investigation relating to campaign fundraising. The investigation did not result in charges. De Blasio stated that “the process to defend yourself against a potential accusation is time-consuming” and can often mean extra fundraising hours.
He claimed that the upcoming elections were the elephant in his room.
They were very clear that they had a timer in mind. De Blasio stated that they had to either prove their case, or withdraw it.
Joon Kim, the acting U.S. attorney at that time, announced in March 2017 that no charges would be filed against de Blasio. Kim’s office stated that it did not want to influence the race for City Hall that year.
Kim stated that “even though it’s rare for us to make a public announcement about the progress of an investigation, it seems appropriate at this point, so as not to unnecessarily influence the upcoming election and campaign,”
Adams and Bove referred to the case as politically motivated, echoing other complaints made by Bove’s ex-client, President Trump, about other cases.
De Blasio believes the parallel stops there.
“Apples to oranges” There was a lot of evidence available to the public for all things Trump. “No one has ever shown any evidence of bribery against Adams”, de Blasio stated.
In New York, Mr. Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies of falsifying records of business. He is appealing this conviction. A Georgia criminal case is on indefinite hold. And a federal case was dropped against Mr. Trump after his election in November because it would have been in violation of Justice Department policy towards sitting presidents. A federal case was dismissed in the summer of 2017.
Mr. Trump denied all accusations and accused different prosecutors of charging against him for political reasons.
Adams’ critics accuse him of warming up to Trump to get his case dismissed. De Blasio says Adams can prove that this is not true by openly opposing Trump policies.
The mayor has the opportunity to disprove this notion. De Blasio stated that he could put an end to this with his actions.
