Primary election nearing, Adams urges court to dismiss charges against him

On Monday, March 31, New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged Federal Judge Dale Ho, who is considering whether to dismiss this historic corruption case, to make a final decision as this week marks the deadline for his re-election qualification.

According to New York City law, mayoral candidates must submit a petition with at least 3750 signatures by Thursday of this week, April 3, in order to qualify for the June primary. ABC Television reported that the Mayor’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, wrote a letter to Judge Dale Ho saying, “As the deadline for submitting the petition is just days away, we respectfully urge the court to make a decision as soon as possible.”

About three weeks ago, Judge Ho sought the opinion of senior lawyer Paul Clement on whether to withdraw the recommendation to charge Adams, and Clement advised that the case should be permanently dismissed.

However, Judge Ho, who had promised a swift judgment, has remained silent on whether he will consider Clement’s advice.

The Justice Department requested the dismissal of charges against Adams earlier this year, admitting that their decision to reject the case was not based on the strength of the evidence but was to free up Adams’ energy to assist in federal immigration efforts. The Justice Department also stated that if the Southern District prosecutor is willing, the case can be reopened after the mayoral election.

Recent polls have shown that this prolonged and protracted prosecution has indeed weakened Adams’ chances of re-election. Some voters believe that he prioritized federal interests over those of New Yorkers in exchange for dropping the charges, and the City’s Board of Elections used his case as an excuse to not approve his campaign finance matching program.

Since September of last year when Adams was accused of collaborating with Turkish individuals for preferential treatment in exchange for bribes, he has consistently maintained his innocence.