President Donald Trump’s Justice Department has asked federal prosecutors in Manhattan to drop their corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, multiple outlets reported Monday.
The memo with the request was reportedly sent by Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove and said the prosecutors are “directed to dismiss” the charges accusing Adams, a Democrat, of bribery, fraud and the solicitation of illegal foreign campaign donations. The case was set to go to trial in the spring.
Bove, once a prosecutor in the same office that brought charges against Adams, said the case was inappropriately timed and that the indictment would be reconsidered after November’s New York mayoral race, in which Adams is seeking reelection, The New York Times reported. Bove’s memo reportedly did not comment on the merits of the case.
Bove also said that the pending prosecution had restricted Adams’ ability to “devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that has escalated under the policies of the prior Administration,” according to The Associated Press.
Adams recently praised Trump’s hard-line immigration policies, which include mass deportation efforts nationwide.
Ahead of taking office, Trump said he’d consider pardoning Adams if he was convicted. “I think that he was treated pretty unfairly,” Trump told reporters.
Adams also met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month and attended his inauguration.
Neither the Justice Department nor the mayor’s office immediately responded to HuffPost’s requests for comment Monday.
The federal charges brought against Adams last September concern allegations he accepted bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals in exchange for political favors. He is the first sitting New York mayor to be indicted.
Despite the charges and lagging poll numbers, Adams has been adamant that he’s staying in the mayoral race. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who resigned following allegations of sexual harassment in 2021, is reportedly planning to enter the race and holds a clear lead in the polls.