New York City Mayor Eric Adams broke his silence on Tuesday, thanking the Justice Department for ordering federal prosecutors to drop the federal corruption case against him, and denying that he broke the law.  Adams was scheduled to stand trial on federal corruption charges starting on April 21.

Adams previously pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment that accused him of accepting years of luxury travel gifts in exchange for, among other things, persuading the fire department to approve the opening of the new Turkish consulate in Manhattan despite the lingering safety concerns of inspectors.

The DOJ’s directive from Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, that the charges be dismissed without prejudice, suggesting that the that the case was biased, hurt Adams’ re-election bid, and impacted his ability to help the Trump administration crackdown on illegal immigration.

In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Adams said he “said from the outset, I never broke the law, and I never would.  It is worth repeating the facts, because many sensational and false claims have been made, so let me be clear: I never asked anyone to break the law on my behalf, or on behalf of my campaign. Never. And I absolutely never traded my power as an elected official for any personal benefit.”

Adams thanked President Trump administration’s Justice Department “for its honesty. Now we can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of our city. It’s time to move forward. Despite the fact that I am no longer facing legal questions, I also understand that many New Yorkers will still question my character, and I know that I must continue to regain your trust. I’ve learned a lot over the last year, and this experience has been humbling,” concluding that it has been “the most difficult 15 months of my life.”

On Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she “cleaned house and stabilized” city government after the mayor was indicted, and she will continue “working with him. The mayor needs to stay focused on the issues of the city, that has to be his laser focus. And I’m going to continue to make sure that continues to be his focus. It has to be what we are all working towards to protect New Yorkers.”

Editorial credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com