Mayor Eric Adams on Monday sought to minimize the mounting calls from fellow Democratic officials that he either resign or be removed from office, arguing they are undermining the will of New York City voters based on “perception and belief.”
Hizzoner, in his first media availability since Feb. 5, questioned the growing tide of pols who have pushed for his ouster since President Donald Trump’s Justice Department moved to drop his federal corruption case earlier this month.
The mayor — who has repeatedly said he is “going nowhere” — contended that the push for him to step down or be forced out by Gov. Kathy Hochul would unduly overturn the will of city voters. He also claimed it is mainly driven by his primary challengers and those who have long criticized his administration and that they do not even know why they are seeking his removal.
“Was he convicted of something? Did he do something new? What was the reason? If you were to ask people why,” Adams said. “What is the reason? ‘Well, they’re putting forward the possibility of taking away your charges.’ That’s a reason to take away the mayor of the largest city in America? If that’s the standard, we are all in trouble.”
However, those calling for Adams to resign or be forced out of office have grown far beyond his primary challengers or frequent critics.
In the aftermath of the DOJ moving to drop Adams charges, high-ranking state and city officials like state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris (D-Queens), and US Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-Manhattan). None of those officials are running against Adams, nor have they been among his administration’s usual critics.
Rev. Al Sharpton, a close Adams ally who has not called on him to resign, has aired serious concerns about the mayor’s ability to lead the city as questions swirl around Trump’s influence over him.
Those urging Adams to step down all cited concerns that he is now beholden to Trump. This follows accusations by former US Attorney Danielle Sassoon that he engaged in a quid pro quo to get his charges dropped. She alleged that Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro, offered his cooperation with implementing Trump’s immigration crackdown in exchange for dismissing his case.
Hochul appeared to seriously consider removing Adams after four of his top deputy mayors resigned last week, but she ultimately decided against it. Instead, she is introducing legislation intended to reign in the mayor’s power and limit Trump’s influence over the city.
Hochul cited reasons similar to Adams’s for deciding against initiating removal proceedings. She said she did not want to overturn the will of the voters, especially with the Democratic primary coming up on June 24.
“My strong belief is that the will of the voters and the supremacy and sanctity of democratic elections preclude me from any other action,” Hochul said during a news conference last Thursday. “I cannot deny the people of this great city the power to make this decision for themselves.”
Adams said he was not concerned about Hochul booting him from office “because I did nothing wrong.”
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