New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing mounting legal and political pressure over allegations of bribery and campaign finance violations, Voice of America correspondent Aron Ranen reports from New York City.
The trial of New York City Mayor Eric Adams was originally scheduled to take place in April, but was postponed after the Justice Department of President Trump's new administration requested a dismissal of the case.
"Judge Dale Ho removed the trial date from the court calendar, but he didn't dismiss the case, at least not yet. He appointed a legal expert who will oppose the Justice Department's position on dismissing the case," says Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor.
He says this legal move is rarely used in federal trials and therefore the judge's decision is unusual.
"It's not unprecedented, but it's not common. When the parties want a case dismissed... it almost always gets dismissed. The question is what was the reason for dismissing the case and is it appropriate? That's what will now be examined with the involvement of expert Clement," says Mr. Rahmani.
Some experts say the charges were unfairly dropped as part of a deal that Mayor Adams reached with President Trump's administration to deport immigrants from New York.
"Trump's proposal, coming from the headquarters in Washington, was to drop the charges against Mayor Adams in order to keep him under control on issues related to the president's agenda, particularly immigration. So this was a deliberate move so that (President) Trump could continue to have control over the mayor of New York," says Ester Fuchs, a professor of political science at Columbia University.
Mayor Adams' supporters insist he has not committed any wrongdoing.
"There's no evidence that he could have done anything wrong with Trump... President Trump said this, his immigration director said this. These are coming from opponents who never voted for him, who don't want him in office," says Bishop Gerald Seabrooks, a supporter of the mayor.
Even President Donald Trump has come to Mr. Adams' defense.
"I thought it was very political," President Trump said.
Meanwhile, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has ruled out firing Mayor Adams, instead opting for more oversight of his administration.
"I have decided not to initiate impeachment proceedings at this time. I strongly believe that the will of the voters and the sanctity of democratic elections preclude any further action. I cannot deny the people of this wonderful city the power to make this decision for themselves," the governor said.
With legal delays, New York state oversight and heightened scrutiny, Mr. Adams' political future remains uncertain. /VOA (A2 Televizion)
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