New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed concern that the Department of Justice’s investigation into him could be politically motivated due to his opposition to President Joe Biden’s border policy.
During an interview on Fox News’s The Story on Wednesday, Adams was asked if he believed that “the Biden Justice Department came after you and many of the people that work for you because of your pushback on immigration?”
Adams responded that he believed that the way the DOJ has carried out its investigation is “clearly suspect to me.”
“I clearly believe when you looked at aspects of the indictment and you look at the timing of this and the manner — the leaks, there were just so many leaks,” Adams said.
“I’m a former law enforcement officer, and when you conduct an investigation, you’re not leaking out repeatedly information that clearly only the Justice Department was aware of. Just the manner in which this was done is clearly suspect to me,” he continued. “I should not have been charged. No American should go through what I’m going through right now. This country believes in fairness, and what I’ve experienced is not only a professional tragedy, it’s a personal tragedy.”
Adams was indicted in September on federal criminal charges largely surrounding how he conducted his 2021 mayoral campaign. Prior to his latest interview, Adams answered in the affirmative when asked in late November if he believed the indictment was “payback for his criticism of the party line on migrants.”
“People were not happy with me,” he said in comments to the Wall Street Journal.
His concerns that the Justice Department may have been “weaponized” against him for political reasons follow claims made by President-elect Donald Trump. The GOP leader has frequently stated he believes that the New York hush money conviction leveled against him in May was fueled by his political enemies.
During the Fox News interview, Adams alleged Biden “said his Justice Department is politicized.” While Biden has publicly rejected any claim the DOJ acts politically, he did say that the federal cases levied against his son Hunter Biden, which was led by the DOJ, was infected by “raw politics,” leading to “a miscarriage of justice.”
“I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” Biden said in a statement announcing he would pardon his son of all criminal charges on Dec. 1.
Adams said on Wednesday, “The president of the United States said his Justice Department is politicized. Donald Trump stated … the parents who are on the FBI watchlist for standing up for their children, they’re saying it. There’s something wrong, and we need to make sure that we don’t use any tool of law enforcement in a way to politicize the process.”
Adams’s remarks follow similar comments he made at a press conference on Dec. 3. At the time, he read a line from a New York Times story stating: “President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump now agree on one thing: the Biden Justice Department has been politicized.”
With Trump indicating he may pardon Adams when he assumes office, the mayor was pressed on if he had ever asked the president-elect for the favor.
“I did not ask that,” Adams said. “And our conversations — we both express our love for the city… I’m working with the president and his administration, not warring with him. I say that quote over and over again.”
Adams was also pressed on whether he might leave the Democratic Party and rejoin the Republican Party. The New Yorker was a registered Republican between 1995 to 2002 but has led as a Democrat during the entirety of his time as mayor.
After shifting to the right on immigration policy in recent years and offering friendly words toward Trump, there has been some speculation Adams might go back to being a Republican.
Adams rebuffed the conjectures during his interview Wednesday, saying he would continue to run in his 2025 mayoral reelection campaign as a Democrat.
“I ran as a Democrat, and I think Democrats have different philosophies and ways of thinking. We’re not monolithic in our thoughts. And I’m going to rerun as a Democrat. I ran as a [New York state] senator as a Democrat and a Brooklyn borough president as a Democrat,” the mayor said.
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However, Adams emphasized that he identifies first and foremost as an American, saying his focus is on maintaining a bipartisan attitude and helping blue-collar workers.
“I am true blue-collar. I believe in America. I believe what we stand for, our way of life. I’m fearful of the radicalizing of our children who no longer love this country the way we ought to,” Adams said. “But I am an American, and I cannot be clearer on that. And the American people have stated we are tired of our public officials going back and forth, arguing, while we are in a state of despair. My attention will continue to be on working-class Americans in general, but specifically here in New York.”
