Rep. Hakeem Jeffries: Quid pro quo concerns taint dismissal of charges against NYC mayor

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he is “very concerned” that President Trump is using the justice system to pressure Mayor Eric Adams to help enact his immigration agenda in New York City.

Last week, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove III ordered  Manhattan prosecutors to drop the corruption case against Mr. Adams, arguing in part that they would impede the mayor’s ability to help the administration address illegal immigration.

“The situation is very disturbing,” the top House Democrat said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Mr. Mayor Adams has a responsibility to convince the people of New York City that he will be able to govern in a manner that puts their best interest first at all times, and he is not simply taking orders from a Trump administration, a Trump Department of Justice, or Trump officials who do not have the best interest of the city of New York at heart.”

The Justice Department move sparked a wave of resignations, including from the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle R. Sassoon.

“Adams’s attorneys repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed,” Ms. Sassoon, a conservative, wrote in her resignation letter.

“Rather than be rewarded, Adams’s advocacy should be called out for what it is: an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal of his case,” she said.

After the charges were dismissed, Mr. Adams met with Trump border czar Tom Homan. Mr. Adams agreed to allow federal immigration officials to operate in Rikers Island jail as part of the crackdown on illegal immigration in New York City.

On Sunday, Mr. Homan dismissed the idea that Mr. Adams was working with federal officials because the Justice Department had moved to drop the corruption case.

“No, I think that is ridiculous,” Mr. Homan said on CNN “State of the Union.” “I really don’t think it had anything to do with whatever is going on at the Justice Department. We never talked about that. It is kind of out of my lane.”

But Mr. Jeffries, New York Democrat, criticized the Justice Department, saying it is “not promoting law and order.”

“It is promoting lawlessness and disorder,” he said. He cited Mr. Trump’s pardoning supporters — some with prior criminal records — for their roles in the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Meanwhile, Mr. Adams has faced calls for him to resign from his party.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, New York Democrat, said Mr. Adams is “putting the city of New York and its people at risk in exchange for escaping charges.”

“As long as Trump wields this leverage over Adams, the city is endangered. We cannot be governed under coercion,” she said. “If Adams won’t resign, he must be removed.”