Consider This from NPR - Will New York's mayor survive widening scandal?

Episode Date: February 18, 2025

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, along withother top officials spent much of Tuesday weighing whether to use her power to remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office.It's a power that no New York Governor has ever used before.Adams faces growing calls to step down over allegations of corruption - and criticism that Adams' deepening ties with the Trump administration have compromised his ability to govern independently.The nation's biggest city has been all but paralyzed by the legal and political problems of its Mayor. What's next for Eric Adams, and what does the scandal tell us about the Trump Justice Department? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.orgEmail us at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The political scandal gripping New York City and its mayor can be summed up in a series of numbers. Five. That's the number of criminal charges filed against Eric Adams late last year. The charges were part of a sweeping case alleging that Adams used the power of various city offices over nearly a decade to solicit lavish vacations and improper campaign contributions. Five is also the number of criminal charges that acting Deputy Attorney General Amal Bovi ordered federal prosecutors to drop earlier this month.

Bovi said the criminal indictment restricted Mayor Adams' ability to address illegal immigration and violent crime in the city. The number four, that's the number of Adams' deputies who resigned in protest yesterday, effectively wiping out the mayor's top leadership. They follow a string of Adams' officials who have exited his administration. And one final number to think about, 235. That is the number of years that the governor of New York State has had the power to remove the mayor of New York City if he or she deems they are unable to govern. No governor has ever used that power, but

that could change at any moment. Consider this. The nation's biggest city has been all but paralyzed by the legal and political problems of its mayor. What's next for Eric Adams? And what does the scandal tell us about the Trump Justice Department? From NPR, I'm Mary Louise Kelly. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things in other currencies. Sending or spending money abroad, hidden fees may be taking a cut. With Wyse, you can convert between up to 40 currencies at the mid-market exchange rate. Visit Wyse.com. TNCs apply. It's Consider This from NPR. It has been a tense day in New York City as Governor Kathy Hockel and other top officials weigh the political future of the city's embattled Mayor Eric

Adams. Adams faces growing calls to step down over allegations of corruption and over criticism that his deepening ties with the Trump administration have compromised his ability to govern independently. NPR's Brian Mann is following this. Hey there. Hi Mayor Louise. So get us up to speed. Governor Hockel was signaling yesterday that she was weighing using her power to force Adams out. Did she move in that

direction today? Well, here's what we know. Hogle spent the day holding closed door one-on-one meetings with some of New York City's most influential politicians and civic leaders, including the Reverend Al Sharpton and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. He's the House Democratic minority leader. He represents part of Brooklyn. And they discussed Adam's future and this growing scandal that sent shock waves through the city's leadership. Remember four of Adam's top aides and deputy mayors, some of his key staff resigned yesterday. So in her statement, Hockel said Adam's alleged conduct at city hall is troubling and cannot

be ignored. She made it clear that removing Adam's from office is a real possibility, but so far she has not pulled that trigger. Okay. Tell me more about the conversations that she was having and just the tone. Yeah. Louder and louder calls from Democratic leaders in New York for Adams to resign or for Hokel to force him out. Congressman Jeffries spoke to reporters today after his conversation with Hokel. He says confidence in Congressman Jeffries spoke to reporters today after his conversation with Hokel. He says confidence in Adams' ability to lead has been shattered. This interview was posted by the news channel New York One.

It's a deeply disturbing development. Mayor Adams has a responsibility to decisively demonstrate to the people of New York City that he has the capacity to continue to govern in the best interests of New Yorkers, as opposed to taking orders from the Trump administration. Taking orders from the Trump administration. Brian, just refresh our memory on what Hakeem Jeffries is referring to. Yeah, so Mayor Adams was indicted last September on federal corruption and bribery charges. He's denied any wrongdoing. But after President Trump was elected, Adams and his legal team started courting Trump's team and the new leadership at the Justice Department. They looked for those very serious charges to be dropped.

Critics, including one DOJ attorney, say Adams' team offered a quid pro quo here, shelve these criminal charges, and in return New York City's administration will help crack down on undocumented migrants. So last week the DOJ did agree to put Adams' case on hold. That was a move so controversial that seven top DOJ attorneys resigned rather than go along with it. Now moving forward, because the DOJ has reserved authority to reactivate those criminal charges against Adams, they're holding this big stick going forward. If Adams doesn't cooperate on migrants, the DOJ could hit him with those charges. Adams has already offered federal immigration police more access to

inmates at the city's jail on Rikers Island. And is there any kind of deadline for Governor Hokel? Do we know when she might act? You know, we really do not know when she's going to move forward here. One key moment, though, is Judge Dale Ho, the federal judge overseeing the Adams case, is going to review the DOJ request to put these criminal charges on hold. That happens tomorrow afternoon. And there's some indication that Hockel might act after we hear how that judge moves the case forward. NPR's Brian Mann, he is watching developments in New York City. Thank you. Thank you.

We are now about one month into President Trump's term and Justice Department veterans are starting to notice a pattern. They say the DOJ seems to be more lenient with people who appear loyal to the president. NPR Justice correspondent Carrie Johnson has been reporting on some of those cases. Hi there. Hey there. So we're talking obviously about politically sensitive cases. What exactly are you hearing from people both in and outside the Justice Department? Stephen Salzburg spent years at Justice under Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

He says alarm is actually an understatement about what's happening there. Prosecutors seem to be backing away from cases against people with ties to Donald Trump. There are patterns that we haven't really seen in the past. None of the patterns inspire a lot of confidence that the department is being even-handed in its approach to cases. Salzburg says this actually started on Inauguration Day with Trump's clemency for more than 1,500 people who took part in the Capitol riot. He says it looks like Trump wanted to cut those people a break because they were acting on his behalf.

I will inject a reminder here that Trump, of course, was himself investigated by the Justice Department, was charged twice by the Justice Department. Prosecutors dropped those charges against him after he won the election in November. Is that experience echoing through the Justice Department now? It absolutely is. After Trump returned to the White House, prosecutors abandoned their obstruction case against two of his aides at the Mar-a-Lago Resort, while Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira allegedly helped Trump hide classified documents from the FBI. And

Trump's spoken a lot lately about how the Justice Department went after him. He says that gave him an appreciation for the plight of other politicians accused of wrongdoing. That's really showed. In recent weeks, DOJ dropped a case against former Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry. Prosecutors in Nashville withdrew from an investigation against Republican Congressman Andy Ogles. Ogles, of course, had introduced a bill

that would clear the way for Trump to serve a third term in office. And then on Friday, the DOJ Trump to serve a third term in office. And then on Friday, the D.O.J. moved to dismiss the case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. Stay with the Mayor Adams case for a sec, because that's a big one and I know the fallout is continuing. What is the latest? Seven prosecutors quit rather than move to drop that case.

They said it looked like an unlawful quid pro quo. Adams and his lawyer have flatly denied that. But the judge in the case, Dale Ho, has ordered both sides to court Wednesday in New York to explain why the prosecution is being dismissed. And meanwhile, more than 900 former Justice Department prosecutors signed a letter to salute the people still at justice for responding to ethical challenges with courage and conviction. One of the people who signed is Peter Seidenberg. He says senior lawyers at Justice did not seem to hide they were acting for political reasons to secure Eric Adams' cooperation with

immigration agents. The politicization of the Department of Justice seems like it's complete. But the chief of staff to the current attorney general says this DOJ wants to focus on its core function of prosecuting dangerous criminals, not pursuing politically motivated witch hunts. Hmm, that reminds me of something that current Attorney General, this is Pam Bondi, something she said, which is that she wants to go after weaponization. She does. Bondi seems to be focused on people who help bring cases against Donald Trump.

Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith wrote this week, this all seems to be doublespeak, part of a playbook to weaponize DOJ law enforcement like never before against Trump's perceived enemies. And the fear of many of my sources is that the DOJ will on one hand move to help Trump's friends get out of trouble, and on the other, use its vast powers of investigation and prosecution against people who have criticized the president. And Piers, Kerry Johnson there. Thanks, Kerry. Thanks for having me. This episode was produced by Mark Rivers, Megan Lim, and Tyler Bartlem. It was edited by Courtney Dornan, Sarah Handel, Nadia Lancy, Christian Monroe, and Cheryl Corley.

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