By Robert Hornak
With the Department of Justice dropping the charges against Eric Adams, you’d think that all the Democrats who said previously that they didn’t know if Adams could continue to perform his job while fighting a federal indictment should be relieved that he’s now considered in the clear.
But not in the bizarro world that is New York politics lately.
After the indictment, Gov. Hochul met with Adams to discuss what he needed to do to hold on until his trial. There were other members of his administration that were implicated, and she insisted that he remove anyone else that was under suspicion. And Adams quickly complied.
Calls for his resignation died down as everyone realized that Adams was in trouble not just legally but politically. His poll numbers are as bad as they get and the chance he could win reelection is nonexistent.
Now the DOJ has dropped the charges, freeing Adams to at least continue working for the next few months without the pressure of a trial until city voters engage in the generally accepted method to replace elected officials they no want, an election.
But rather than feeling relieved that one of their own dodged a bullet and won’t go through the spectacle of a big trial, they are all melting down and losing their minds. Why? Because Adams is doing what he said he would do, work to deport illegal immigrants, especially those who have committed crimes, in cooperation with the Trump administration, which is doing exactly what everyone knew they would do.
And THIS is what is causing all the controversy. Not that Eric Adams may have broken campaign finance laws, but that he might uphold immigration laws and work with federal authorities in doing so.
However, now that the charges have been dropped, the case for removal of Adams from office is no longer a legal argument but now entirely a political attack for supporting a policy that many NYC Democrats object to. And it is not at all clear that Hochul has the power to remove the mayor without legal charges hanging over his head. The NYS Constitution states, “The mayor may be removed from office by the governor upon charges and after service upon him of a copy of the charges and an opportunity to be heard in his defense.”
What charges would Hochul press to make the case for removal? Even in this crazy new world they can’t seriously argue that Adams following federal law – and cooperating with the President of the United States, who received 77 million votes just a few months ago to take action on issues exactly like this – is what Democrats in NY see as his offense.
But that is exactly what they are saying. Top Democrats, including Lt Gov Antonio Delgado, are now aggressively calling for Adams to resign or be removed. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted on social media, “As long as Trump wields this leverage over Adams, the city is endangered. We cannot be governed under coercion. If Adams won’t resign, he must be removed.”
And this is the left’s spin. That Adams must be under coercion to follow federal law, even though he has stated very clearly that this situation is unsustainable and that those here illegally who commit other crimes must be deported. It’s actually mind-boggling to think anyone could disagree with that.
And yet, this is where the Democratic Party is today. While Hochul, who is likely to face a tougher than expected reelection herself next year, is not rushing to take action on this, she realizes what most of us realize. This is all just politics.
Robert Hornak is a professional political consultant who has previously served as the Deputy Director of the Republican Assembly Leader’s NYC office and as Executive Director of the Queens Republican Party. He can be reached at rahornak@gmail.com and @RobertHornak on X.
