New York City Mayor Eric Adams withdrew from a candidates forum on Wednesday, where many of his Democratic primary opponents were present.
He later explained his decision, citing legal advice to avoid such events until a judge rules on whether to dismiss his corruption case.
“Let’s allow the court to do this process,” Adams told reporters at an earlier event, emphasizing that there was still ample time for debates and forums before the election. At least six candidates are challenging him in the June primary.
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Adams also pointed to another reason for skipping the event, organized by District Council 37, the city’s largest municipal union. He suggested that some candidates were “running in the shadows,” seemingly alluding to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has yet to officially declare his candidacy but is already securing endorsements.
“We need to get everybody running,” Adams said. “No candidate should be able to stay on the sidelines and send out innuendos.”
His absence was met with boos from union members when DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido announced that Adams had backed out. Meanwhile, City Comptroller Brad Lander took a swipe at both Adams and Cuomo.
“Henry, on the advice of counsel, I’m proud to be at the DC 37 mayoral forum tonight,” Lander quipped. “If you can’t stand before the people who make this city run and answer their questions, then you should not be running for mayor.”
Neither Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro, nor a campaign representative provided a comment on his decision to skip the event.
Earlier in the day, Adams again urged a judge to dismiss his corruption case, alleging prosecutorial misconduct.
The mayor was indicted in September for allegedly accepting over $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions and travel perks from a Turkish official and others seeking influence while he was Brooklyn borough president.
Two weeks ago, top Justice Department officials overruled New York prosecutors, ordering them to drop the case, arguing that it was distracting Adams from addressing immigration policies and impacting his reelection bid. This decision led to multiple resignations from federal prosecutors in both New York and Washington, D.C.
In court filings Wednesday, Adams’ lawyers accused prosecutors of improperly leaking internal Justice Department documents, including a letter from former U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon to Attorney General Pam Bondi arguing against dropping the case. The letter revealed that Adams had also faced potential obstruction of justice charges.
Adams has pleaded not guilty, maintaining his innocence.
The judge has canceled the scheduled April trial and appointed outside counsel to advise on the case’s next steps. While federal prosecutors initially suggested the possibility of reinstating charges after the election, Adams’ legal team is pushing to have that option eliminated.
“Mayor Adams was prosecuted in the media long before there was ever an indictment,” his lawyers argued. “This case, which was once just a farce, has now become a cancer, causing real and irrevocable harm each and every day.”
