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Mayor Eric Adams of New York gave a speech on Tuesday professing his innocence and arguing that he would not put his personal interests above the city’s.
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Eric Adams Delivers Remarks After D.O.J. Moves to Drop Charges
The mayor of New York City said that he “never broke the law” during a six-minute speech at City Hall.
My fellow New Yorkers, as you may have heard, the Department of Justice has directed that the case against me be dismissed, finally ending a monthslong saga that put me, my family and this city through an unnecessary ordeal. As I said from the outset, I never broke the law and I never would. I would never put any personal benefit above my solemn responsibility as your mayor. It is worth repeating the facts because many sensational and false claims have been made. So let me be clear: I never asked anyone to break the law on my behalf or on behalf of my campaign — never — and I absolutely never traded my power as an elected official for any personal benefit.
Feb. 11, 2025, 1:00 p.m. ET
As Mayor Eric Adams awaited a decision by federal prosecutors in Manhattan over whether to heed the Justice Department’s order to dismiss his five-count corruption indictment, he delivered an address on Tuesday to staunchly defend his character and profess his innocence.
He insisted that the prosecution was based on sensational claims and had put him and his family through an “unnecessary ordeal” that he argued was now over.
“I never broke the law and I never would,” he said in the six-minute speech at City Hall. “I would never put any personal benefit above my solemn responsibility as your mayor.”
Mr. Adams did not address concerns that the potential resolution of his case would make him beholden to President Trump, who has said that he and the mayor were both “persecuted” by prosecutors and that he would consider pardoning Mr. Adams.
Mr. Adams sought to reassure New Yorkers that he was focused on running the city, and he said that he would work to regain their trust.
“You can trust me to keep moving the city forward,” he said.
The acting head of the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, Danielle R. Sassoon, must now decide whether to carry out the order by Emil Bove III, the Justice Department’s acting No. 2 official, to dismiss the charges “as soon as is practicable” by filing a motion with the judge overseeing the case.
