Adams indictment like Trump impeachment?
Yesterday, the US attorney indicted Mayor Eric Adams on five federal charges of bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. They stem from bribes he allegedly took to do the bidding of the Turkish government. The US attorney warned that these charges are just the tip of the iceberg. But even they make clear that Adams is as guilty as sin. This is why, despite his posturing and protestations, I expect him to eventually cop a plea.
For now, though, listening to Adams spin this indictment, you’d swear he was channeling Trump during his impeachments. Trump weaponized those to rally his base and attack the prosecutors; Adams is doing the same.
Trump’s presidency was little more than a crony-filled, treasonous grift. And it seemed to have Russian strongman Vladimir Putin pulling the strings. This indictment paints Adams’s mayoralty as a cheap spin-off. Only it seems to have Turkish strongman Tayyip Erdogan as the puppet master.
The schadenfreude among Republicans is palpable. They finally have a Democrat they can use in their endless “whataboutism” game, deflecting now from the four indictments that are dogging Trump’s post-presidency and reelection campaign. Never mind that this indictment of Adams and the prosecution of Hunter Biden fatally undermine their “Biden DOJ is targeting Trump” narrative.
Tammany Hall 2.0
Yes, the Adams City Hall reeks of corruption. But these charges suggest that, while ocean wide, this corruption was only skin deep — and laughably cheap. After all, he got busted for soliciting airline upgrades, luxury hotel rooms, and fancy dinners.
That’s like getting ticketed for jaywalking compared with Trump’s impeachable offenses — extorting Ukraine and inciting insurrection — not to mention the indictable crimes of fraud, mishandling classified documents, and trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.
Frankly, this Tammany Hall 2.0 seems unworthy of making Adams the first sitting mayor to be indicted. Still, Adams is banking on the same deflection and denial that helped Trump survive two impeachments and weather four indictments to stand at the brink of reelection as president.
The race card
But Adams isn’t just defending himself; he’s warning Kamala Harris and congressional Democrats to back off — or else. It’s no accident that he surrounded himself with Black religious leaders and political activists at his press conference. Because he’s framing his indictment as the racially motivated persecution of a Black man.
The not-so-subtle message? If Democrats come after him, they shouldn’t expect Blacks to turn out for them in November. The problem? The US attorney prosecuting him is a Black man, Damian Williams. So that race card won’t play – even in old New York.
That said, I don’t expect any prominent Democrat to follow AOC’s lead in calling for Adams to resign. Instead, they will parry with the media, hoping his indictment does not negatively affect their election results. But after the elections, no matter the results, Adam’s is toast: Democratic leaders will drop him like a hot potato, forcing Governor Hochul to use her executive authority to remove him.
