A rally is planned for Saturday as calls continue for New York Governor Kathy Hochul to remove New York City Mayor Adams from office.
WASHINGTON — A rally is planned for Saturday as calls continue for New York Governor Kathy Hochul to remove New York City Mayor Adams from office.
The rally comes a day after a federal judge stopped short of dismissing Adams’ criminal trial, instead ruling it was indefinitely adjourned.
“In light of the Government’s motion and the representations of the parties during the conference, it is clear that trial in this matter will not go forward on April 21,” U.S. District Judge Dale Ho wrote.
Judge Ho is also appointing an independent attorney to argue against the DOJ’s motion to dismiss the case against Mayor Adams.
He ordered an outside attorney – former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement – to make arguments on the DOJ’s dismissal request, ordering briefs be filed by March 7 and tentatively scheduling oral argument on March 14.
The judge says it is appropriate, “particularly so in light of the public importance of this case, which calls for careful deliberation.”
The mayor said he’s not disappointed in Judge Ho’s decision to appoint an independent lawyer, saying it’s part of the process, and he has a “great deal of faith” in his legal team.
“I think life is full of processes. It’s about the process. I respect the process,” Adams said.
Lawyers for Adams are continuing to push for the case to be dismissed, arguing the Department of Justice moved to toss the case because of the weakness of the evidence, rather than ” policy determinations” related to immigration.
Attorneys Alex Spiro and William Burck argued that Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent statement that the case demonstrates “a weaponization of government” further suggests the evidence was too weak to secure a conviction.
“This is precisely what defense counsel have been arguing for months. Since the inception of this case, we have sought to demonstrate that the government lacks both factual and legal basis for the charges against Mayor Adams,” the attorneys wrote
While the investigation into Adams was initiated at least a year before the mayor changed his stance on immigration to align with President Donald Trump, Adam’s lawyers continue to argue the case was politically motivated.
“The Department of Justice has realized its error and now seeks to correct the prior Administration’s mistake. There is nothing unusual or suspect about setting right what was wrong. That is what justice does,” they wrote.
On Thursday, Hochul proposed new rules that could significantly affect the way Mayor Eric Adams governs New York City.
The proposed guardrails are designed to curb the influence Trump could have over him after accusations of a quid pro quo deal between Adams and Trump is what led to the Justice Department ordering the mayor’s corruption case to be dropped.
Hochul cited the will of the voters and Democratic elections. However, she proposed possible restrictions through the end of the year that she will have to get passed through both the City Council and the State Legislature.
Mayor Adams sits down with Eyewitness News to discuss the latest developments
Mayor Adams said he does not believe the restrictions placed on him by the governor are necessary.
“She did an evaluation. We felt as though we did not need that. There was no legal reason to do it,” he said.
Despite that, the mayor said he will continue to work with the governor to move the city forward and protect New Yorkers, and he says that includes standing up against increasing immigration enforcement that violates the city’s sanctuary status.
Adams also defended his deferential stance on the president, saying that “pushing back” may not be the way to get results with the administration.
“Pushing back is not yelling and fighting. It’s getting results,” he said. “That may be popular to people who don’t want the president, but the president is the president. I can’t get into a yelling match just because it feels good. I have to produce for this city.”
He insists that he’s doing what he was elected to do, and that critics are wrong to question his motives in working with the Trump Administration.
He pointed to the his fight to reclaim $80 million in emergency FEMA funding seized by the federal government, that was allocated to the city for the ongoing migrant crisis.
On Friday, the city’s Law Department announced its filing of the lawsuit against the Trump administration for the “lawless money grab” taken out of the New York City’s bank accounts.
Meanwhile, the mayor has been consistent in saying the city should cooperate with ICE to deport migrants accused of violent crimes, but he told Eyewitness News that cooperation has its limits, and that in their meeting, he and Border Czar Tom Homan understood that.
“He agreed that they can’t go into schools without a judicial order. He agreed they can’t go into our shelters without a judicial order,” he said.
Adams said he’s ready to push back if Homan tries to go into schools without judicial warrants.
“Yes! Yes, the law is the law. You know, we are going to follow the law of the land,” Adams said.
Despite the mayor’s reassurances, for the sixth day straight, there were protests calling on Hochul to remove Adams from office on Friday.
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A rally is planned for Saturday as calls continue for New York Governor Kathy Hochul to remove New York City Mayor Adams from office.
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