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Embattled Mayor Eric Adams hasn’t worked out a secret “quid pro quo” with President Trump’s Department of Justice to kill his corruption case, his lawyer insisted Wednesday — as a Manhattan judge punted for now on whether to toss the charges.
Attorney Alex Spiro offered to swear under oath that Adams hasn’t worked out a bargain with the DOJ as part of a deal that would still allow the feds to re-indict him after November’s mayoral election.
“I’m happy to raise my right hand right now,” Spiro said during a hearing in Manhattan federal court.Judge Dale Ho declined to rule immediately on the Trump’s DOJ’s bid to toss the bribery and wire fraud case — without considering the strength of the evidence — for “national security” reasons, including Adams’ help implementing Trump’s immigration agenda.
“It’s not in anyone’s interest for this to drag on, I understand that,” Ho said. “But to exercise my discretion properly, I’m not going to shoot from my hip on the bench.”
Adams, who flashed a thumbs-up to news cameras on his way in and out of the hearing, denied to the judge that he’d received any sort of “other agreement” with Trump’s DOJ, but that he nonetheless wasn’t concerned about the possibility of the feds’ reviving the case.
“I have not committed a crime, and I don’t see them bringing it back. I’m not afraid of that,” he said in court.
Adams has pleaded not guilty to charges that he took $123,000 in travel perk bribes from Turkish nationals in exchange for fast-tracking the opening of the Turkish consulate building in Manhattan despite safety concerns.
