In fall 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted with counts of bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy to solicit a contribution from a foreign national. By early February 2025, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove III requested the dismissal of all charges.  

The implications of a sitting mayor potentially escaping charges due to presidential interference sets a concerning precedent that emphasizes the need for New Yorkers to participate in the Democratic mayoral primary election. 

The reasons that Bove gave for the request had nothing to do with defending Adams’ behavior. 

Instead, it was explicitly motivated by the expected need for Adams’ continued cooperation with the Trump administration to combat “the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration,” as Bove stated in his letter to prosecutors.   

The nature of this dismissal has rubbed voters and government officials the wrong way. Already, the dismissal request and motion have pushed several top officials to resign, including four top deputy mayors.  

Among those who resigned was the acting head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, who, in a letter of resignation to Attorney General Pam Bondi, accused Adams’ lawyers of proposing “what amounted to a quid pro quo.” 

Not only does this situation make one question the Department of Justice’s ability to manage corruption among high-ranking state officials, but the move has also left many New Yorkers wondering about their future for the next four years as they prepare to cast their ballots. 

Within the past two decades, it has been assumed that the winner of the mayoral democratic primary will become the mayor of NYC, an expectation upheld by Adams when he defeated Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa by sizeable overall margins in 2021. 

With the primary on June 24, New Yorkers have four months to decide if they are willing to endure four more years of a mayor who may owe a debt to the sitting president and the executive branch.  

Additionally, Adams’ win could run the risk of a mayor who may feel invincible knowing the presidential administration could bail him out again in return for cooperating with their agenda, bypassing the will of NYC residents. 

Adams has made several attempts to assure New Yorkers of his loyalty to their voices, though coming in the wake of corruption charges, the comments may not hit home.