In a press briefing Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she would not remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office.
Hochul said she would instead impose “guardrails” to increase oversight on Adams, steps that would likely require legislative approval.
Hochul’s announcement comes after the Department of Justice moved on Feb. 10 to drop the criminal charges against Adams.
Despite saying she was “deeply troubled” by the allegations against Adams, Hochul said removing him would violate the “will of the voters.”
“Make no mistake, the current situation is one I take very seriously,” Hochul said.
Adams previously pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment that accused him of accepting years of luxury travel gifts in exchange for, among other things, allegedly persuading the New York City Fire Department to approve the opening of the new Turkish consulate in Manhattan despite the lingering safety concerns of inspectors.
Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove has said the reason for dropping the charges is unrelated to Adams’ guilt or innocence but instead predicated on his ability to enforce federal immigration policy.
In a court appearance Wednesday with the federal judge who must approve the motion to dismiss the case, Bove denied moving to dismiss the case was part of a “quid pro quo” arrangement.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams arrives to attend a court hearing on the Justice Department’s motion to drop criminal charges against him, at the federal court in New York, on Feb. 19, 2025.
Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images
“The continuation of this prosecution is interfering with national security and immigration enforcement,” Bove said. “The mayor cannot communicate with federal authorities responsible for immigration enforcement, such as the U.S. Attorney’s office.”
In the days following Bove’s directive, U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon and six other federal prosecutors resigned in protest.
On Monday, four deputy mayors in Adams’ administration also resigned.
Hours after the deputy mayors announced their departure, Hochul said she would meet with key state leaders “with the goal of ensuring stability for the City of New York.”
“If they feel unable to serve in City Hall at this time, that raises serious questions about the long-term future of this mayoral administration,” Hochul said of the resignations.
Adams spent time with President Donald Trump shortly before the Justice Department moved to drop the case, including meeting with him in South Florida and attending his inauguration.
The mayor has the backing of Trump, who has claimed Adams was unjustly charged by federal prosecutors and has said he would “take a look” at a pardon for him. “I think that he was treated pretty unfairly,” Trump said of Adams during a press briefing in December.
Adams, who was elected in 2021, is the first sitting New York City mayor to ever face charges.
