The mayor was charged with bribery, fraud and other counts. Legal experts questioned the Trump administration’s justification for the move, and one law enforcement official called the order “transparent corruption.

A memo directing prosecutors to dismiss the charges against Adams said they distracted the New York mayor from efforts to assist in the Trump administration’s priorities.

The Justice Department told federal prosecutors Monday to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, alleging that the Sept. 2024 indictment occurred too close to the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary and that it “unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration.