Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Eric Adams, Democrats and long-time allies, appeared during a parade last year. Hochul says she won’t remove Adams from office despite political and legal scandals that have embroiled city hall.
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul is expected to announce Thursday she won’t use her executive power to remove embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office.
Instead, as reported by Gothamist and WNYC, Hochul plans to introduce measures that would boost state oversight over Adams‘ administration and city hall.
The monitoring regimen is expected to include the creation of a new state deputy inspector general with broad authority to watch over the city’s dealings, according to sources familiar with the governor’s decision who were not authorized to speak publicly.
At least some of those actions would require approval from New York’s state legislature.
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It’s unclear how many could be implemented before the mayoral election in November. Despite his political and legal troubles, Adams is seeking a second term.
It’s a major victory for Adams at a time when controversy linked to federal corruption charges and his growing ties to the Trump administration have embroiled city hall. Four of his deputy mayors abruptly resigned earlier this week.
It’s also a win for President Donald Trump who will retain a political ally – critics say Adams is “under Trump’s thumb” – at the helm of America’s largest city at a time when the White House is moving aggressively to crack down on migrants without legal status.
Earlier in the week, Hochul herself issued a statement saying “alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.”
Hochul’s decision not to exercise her authority to remove Adams from office came despite growing pressure from critics within New York’s Democratic Party.
“The last thing the people of New York want is for our city to turn into an annex of the Trump administration, yet that’s exactly what is happening,” said state Sen. Mike Gianaris in a post on social media. “Eric Adams is clearly compromised and can no longer be considered the legitimate leader of our city.”
New Yorkers picketed to urge New York Governor Kathy Hochul to remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams as she met with top Democratic leaders to discuss Adam’s fate in New York City on Feb. 18.
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U.S. Justice Department officials have been transparent about the fact that they moved to halt criminal proceedings against Adams so that he would be able to assist the Trump administration in pursuing migrants without legal status.
DOJ officials have also made it clear they could revive those criminal charges and re-indict Adams at any point – raising questions about Adams’ ability to make independent decisions without fear of reprisal.
On Wednesday at a federal hearing about the DOJ case in Manhattan, Judge Dale Ho was asked whether he had been threatened by Trump administration officials. Adams replied, “No, your honor.”
Ho is expected to rule soon on whether five bribery and corruption charges will be suspended.
Meanwhile, during a joint appearance on Fox News last week, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan appeared to warn Adams he would be punished if cooperation in migrant enforcement doesn’t continue.
“If [Adams] doesn’t come through, I’ll be back in New York City…in his office up his butt saying Where the hell is the agreement we came to?” Homan said.
Adams has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, despite evidence gathered by federal investigatorsthat he accepted lavish vacations and improper campaign contributions from agents working for the Turkish government.
According to Adams, his growing cooperation with Trump on immigration policy, including a decision this month to allow federal authorities to operate at the city’s jail facility on Rikers Island, reflects his desire to improve public safety.
On Thursday, Adams was asked about the possibility of Governor Hochul imposing new restrictions on his power and authority. Adams declined to answer and ended the press conference.
