Let there be no doubt about it: New York City mayor Eric Adam’s has become Trump’s pawn and he has to go. Despite the enormous political backlash against Adam’s stemming from a bombshell federal indictment accusing him of bribery, fraud, and campaign finance violations, his cozying up to Trump must be what convinces Democratic leaders in New York to finally dump him. 

       The pressure on Adams heated up intensely last month as he vowed to cooperate with federal immigration raids, while Department of Justice leaders ordered the case against him to be dropped. This extortion of the most important City Hall in America happened before our very eyes. Pundits and armchair observers saw this coming from miles away, and the evidence has been overwhelming and public. 

        Immediately after the order to drop charges against Adams, seven lawyers working on the case resigned, including the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon. Sassoon issued a searing statement against DOJ leadership, accusing Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove of engaging in a “quid pro quo” by  offering to drop charges against Adams in exchange for his support of Trump’s policies. 

       This dangerous agreement puts our whole nation at risk of abandoning its position as a leader on justice and law and order. When I think of these dark times at DOJ, with career prosecutors resigning and refusing to sign on to dismissing the case, I cannot help but think of the Saturday Night Massacre that led to national outrage. Though less well-known nowadays, the shocking incident where Richard Nixon tried to force Attorney General Eliot Richardson to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, leading Richardson and his deputy William Ruckelshaus, who both refused to resign. Nowadays, a similar situation played out in America’s most populous city and we barely bat an eye. Shame on us! 

       Eric Adams is almost comically compromised at this point. After already being accused of taking bribes from Turkish officials and taking in illegal campaign contributions, there is clear evidence that he made agreements with the leadership of the DOJ to get these charges dropped. If true, Sassoon’s statement that “Adams’s attorneys repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed” would amount to a crime. Adams clearly should be investigated for bribery and extortion connected to the dropping of charges against him, but after he cozied up to federal authorities, no one will want to touch this case. Adams remains defiant and is currently running in a hotly contested race for reelection. 

       Since it’s clear he has no intention to resign, he must be forced out of office through NY Governor Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove local officials from their posts. Unfortunately, she has made clear that despite disliking Adams’s behavior, she will not use her authority to remove the compromised leader. She stated, “My strong belief is that the will of the voters and the supremacy and sanctity of democratic elections preclude me from any other action. I cannot deny the people of this great city the power to make this decision for themselves.” Let’s be clear about something: Eric Adams is a crook, and is selling out the immigrants of his city to get out of jail. There is nothing sacred or democratic about that. Governor Hochul must act.

      I’ll share more about what I think of NYC’s mayor race soon, but for now I just needed to express my anger at the disgrace that is Eric Adams and the Trump Administration.