Nassau County officials were split on calls for Mayor Eric Adams to resign from office following the Justice Department’s decision to drop corruption charges subject to them being refiled that raised concerns his legal standing would take precedence over New York City’s interests.
Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen called for Adams to resign, saying nobody is above the law.
“If you abuse the power of public office, you’re not fit to hold it,” Gillen said. “Mayor Adams has failed and betrayed New York City repeatedly over the last three years, prioritizing his own interests over those of New Yorkers. His recent actions of blatant, textbook corruption have proved once again why he should not be Mayor for even one day more.”
Gillen had also called for Adams’ resignation when federal corruption charges were filed against him in September.
Charles Lavine, a Democratic state Assembly Member and chair of the state Assembly Judiciary Committee said he believed that removing Adams from office may not be the best course of action.
“I personally believe that it is somewhat premature for him to be removed from office,” Lavine said. “There’s going to be a primary. The voters will have the opportunity to, express themselves with respect to whether they will want to continue to support Mayor Adams.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul is the only person in the state with the power to set in motion Adams’ removal from office. The governor has never removed a sitting mayor from office in the 235-year history of the state, something that Hochul said would be a powerful decision.
Republican state Assembly Member Michael Durso said he thought Adams should be subject to the judicial process.
“I think the justice system needs to play out,” Durso said.
Hochul announced on Thursday, Feb. 20 that she will not use that power to remove Adams from his position.
“I cannot deny the people of this great city the power to decide for themselves,” she said, alluding to the city’s mayoral primary election in June and general election in November.
The governor said that she hopes to stabilize the city and restore calm, ensure all services continue without disruption and take steps to make sure leaders only operate with the city’s best interest in mind.
Efforts to reach Rep. Suozzi regarding the situation were unavailing. Adams had previously considered Rep. Tom Suozzi for the city’s Deputy Mayor position, which he declined.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed federal prosecutors to dismiss Adams’ charges last week, saying that the legal proceedings hindered the mayor’s ability to govern effectively. Seven prosecutors have since stepped down in protest to the departments decision to drop the charges along with four members of Adams’ staff.
Danielle Sassoon, the then Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said that dismissing Adams’ case without prejudice would create an ethical imbalance.
“Dismissing without prejudice and with the express option of again indicting Adams in the future creates obvious ethical problems, by implicitly threatening future prosecution if Adams’s cooperation with enforcing the immigration laws proves unsatisfactory to the Department,” she said in her resignation letter.
Adams had met with President Trump’s “Border Czar” Tom Homan to discuss immigration in the city right around the time that the Justice Department made its decision. Honan made an appearance on “Fox and Friends” on Feb. 14 with Adams, talking about the closed-door meeting.
“If he doesn’t come through, I’ll be back in New York City, and we won’t be sitting on the couch. I’ll be in his office, up his butt, saying, ‘Where the hell is the agreement we came to?'” he said.
Adams was charged in September 2024 with one count of conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and commit wire fraud and bribery, one count of wire fraud, two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals and one count of soliciting and accepting a bribe, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Many have called this a “quid pro quo,” something that Adams denied.
“I want to be crystal clear with New Yorkers: I never offered — nor did anyone offer on my behalf — any trade of my authority as your mayor for an end to my case,” he said.
Hochul had met with officials at the governor’s Manhattan office on Tuesday to discuss the future of the mayor’s position.
“My most urgent concern is the well-being of my 8.3 million constituents who live in New York City,” she said in a statement after the meeting. “I will be monitoring this situation extraordinarily closely to ensure that New Yorkers are not being shortchanged by the current crisis in city government.”
Lavine said that he believes Hochul’s meeting with other Democratic officials to discuss the matter was the right decision.
New York City First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker all stepped down from their positions on Monday, Feb. 17 in response to Adams’ actions.
The four officials released a joint statement, thanking the mayor for their time in office but also acknowledging the political controversy.
“Due to the extraordinary events of the last few weeks and to stay faithful to the oaths we swore to New Yorkers and our families, we have come to the difficult decision to step down from our roles,” they said.’
“I am disappointed to see them go, but given the current challenges, I understand their decision and wish them nothing but success in the future,” Adams responded.
Speaker of the New York City Council Adrienne Adams said that the officials’ departures represented the feelings of many in New York City.
“With the resignation of deputy mayors, it has become clear that Mayor Adams has now lost the confidence and trust of his own staff, his colleagues in government, and New Yorkers,” she said.
Adams said he wants to “put this difficult episode behind us.”
