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The Justice Department’s alleged quid pro quo with Eric Adams, explained
Did DOJ just use charges against New York’s mayor to leverage his cooperation on immigration?
Joey Sendaydiego for Vox
Patrick Reis was the senior politics and ideas editor at Vox. He previously worked at Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, Politico, National Journal, and Seattle’s Real Change News. As a reporter and editor, he has worked on coverage of campaign politics, economic policy, the federal death penalty, climate change, financial regulation, and homelessness.
Welcome to The Logoff. Today I’m focusing on the Justice Department dismissing charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a move that has raised questions about the integrity of the justice system.
What’s the latest? At least seven federal attorneys have resigned in protest after Donald Trump’s DOJ directed them to dismiss corruption charges against Adams.
In her resignation, Manhattan’s US attorney accused the new DOJ leadership of a quid-pro-quo: Adams would get his charges dropped, and in exchange, he would cooperate with the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants in New York City.
That’s a serious charge. What’s the evidence?
There’s a suspicious confluence of timing. Adams agreed Thursday to open a major NYC jail to federal immigration officers, exempting the facility from sanctuary city laws, and he promised further cooperation as well.
The prosecutor, Danielle R. Sassoon, says Adams’s attorneys told the DOJ they would help with immigration enforcement — but only if the charges were dismissed.
Here’s what Trump “border czar” Tom Homan said today about Adams: “If he doesn’t come through, I’ll be back in New York City. I’ll be in his office, up his butt, saying, ‘Where the hell is the agreement we came to?’” (It’s unclear exactly which agreement he’s referencing, but it doesn’t sound great.)
What does the administration say? Adams denies any quid pro quo, and Trump’s team says Adams’s prosecution was political to begin with — a Biden administration effort to punish Adams for criticizing its immigration policy. You can read the indictment and judge for yourself.
What’s next? The Justice Department has the option to revive the charges after the New York mayoral election in November.
What’s the big picture? If true, the quid pro quo charges suggest the administration is using law enforcement to leverage cooperation with its agenda. That’s a dangerous precedent, undermining the rule of law — a cornerstone of a free society.
And with that, it’s time to log off ...
It’s choose-your-own-adventure Friday. If you’re feeling motivated and hungry for learning, check out today’s episode of the Today, Explained podcast. It’s about the Sephora makeup empire — and the reckoning it faces. If you’re exhausted and would like to watch a Saturday Night Live sketch so funny that professional comedians cannot get through it without breaking, here’s a true gem.
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