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Eric Adams is pulling out of the Democratic primary for New York City mayor and will instead run for reelection as an independent following the dismissal of his federal bribery case.
On Thursday (April 2), Adams announced in a video that he would not run in June's Democratic primary because his case "dragged on too long" and prevented him from campaigning.
"False accusations were held over me," Adams said.
“I firmly believe that this city is better served by truly independent leadership, not leaders pulled at by the extremists at the far left or the far right, but instead those rooted in the common middle, the place where the vast majority of New Yorkers are firmly planted,” he added.
The announcement came after a federal judge dismissed Adams' corruption case on Wednesday (April 1). Adams was accused last year of accepting illegal campaign contributions and travel discounts from a Turkish official in exchange for helping the country open a diplomatic building without passing fire inspections.
Adams pleaded not guilty and was expected to go to trial this month. However, the Department of Justice moved to drop the charges against Adams reportedly in exchange for cooperation with Trump's immigration agenda,
On Wednesday, federal Judge Dale E. Ho denied prosecutors the option to refile the charges as he dismissed Adams' case. The judge said allowing the case to be revived “would create the unavoidable perception that the mayor’s freedom depends on his ability to carry out the immigration enforcement priorities of the administration.”
Adams maintained his innocence in Thursday's video while acknowledging that the case may have "shaken" voters.
“I know that the accusations leveled against me may have shaken your confidence in me, and that you may rightly have questions about my conduct. And let me be clear, although the charges against me were false, I trusted people I should not have, and I regret that,” he said.
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