Hochul declines to remove Adams, proposes added oversight for city

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) will not remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), at least for now, instead proposing “guardrails” to increase oversight of the city, she said at a press conference Thursday. 

Her decision came after Hochul met with other leaders in her Manhattan office to discuss a “path forward” for Adams and the city to ensure stability. Pressure has been mounting for New York Democrats to act after the Justice Department requested that the corruption case against Adams be dropped in what some critics have alleged to be part of a quid pro quo between President Trump and the mayor. 

But Hochul said she wouldn’t remove Adams, arguing that voters should be the ones who decide the mayor’s fate. 

“After careful consideration, I have determined that I will not commence removal proceedings at this time,” she said. “My strong belief is that the will of the voters and the supremacy and sanctity of democratic elections preclude me from any other action.” 

“I cannot deny the people of this great city the power to make this decision for themselves,” she added. 

Speculation had been stirring that Hochul would suspend Adams from office, the first step in his possible removal, as outlined by the city charter. He could be suspended for up to 30 days and would need to be given a chance to defend himself, but Hochul could permanently remove him from office after that. 

Hochul denied that any external pressure caused her decision, as she deals with “constant” pressure and it doesn’t affect her decision-making. 

“But make no mistake, the current situation is one that I take very seriously,” she said, adding that her objectives are to stabilize the city, ensure city services continue without disruption and make sure that leaders are operating “only with the city’s best interests in mind.” 

She said her proposals are a first step in restoring trust for New York City residents. 

Hochul called for legislation to create an inspector general specifically devoted to city affairs, allowing the city comptroller, public advocate and council speaker to have independent authority to initiate lawsuits against the federal government and expanding funding for the state comptroller for city oversight. 

She said the measures will be effective immediately once enacted but expire at the end of 2025 and are subject to renewal. 

Hochul said the city and the federal government have worked together in the past, but a “clear line” exists between cooperation and “coercion.” 

Adams has been in legal tumult since September, when he was indicted based on allegations that he sought and accepted bribes from foreign businesspeople and a Turkish government official starting in 2014 and continuing through his time as mayor. 

In a statement following Hochul's announcement, Adams said, "I was elected by the people of New York City and its working-class communities to uphold their values — and that is what our administration has done."

He added, "While there is no legal basis for limiting New Yorkers' power by limiting the authority of my office, I have told the governor, as we have done in the past, that I am willing to work with her to ensure faith in our government is strong. I look forward to continuing those conversations."

But questions about Adams’s ties to Trump and his unwillingness to criticize the president led to speculation that Adams was seeking a pardon or for the DOJ to drop its charges against him, the latter of which came to fruition when acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed that the charges against him be dropped. 

Several prosecutors resigned in protest rather than move to drop the charges, including former acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, who alleged that Adams’s attorneys “repeatedly” pushed for a quid pro quo in which Adams would support the administration’s immigration priorities in exchange for leniency. 

Adams has denied the accusation, calling it “silly.”  

The DOJ notably requested that the charges be dropped without prejudice, meaning they can be refiled in the future. But a judge still must sign off on them for them to be formally dropped. 

Adams is awaiting the charges formally being dropped after a hearing on the DOJ request on Wednesday. The judge presiding on the case didn’t immediately issue a ruling on the motion and said he would consider the arguments.

The Hill has reached out to the mayor's office for comment on Hochul's proposals.

Although Hochul is not removing Adams, one other possible avenue for his removal remains. 

A convening of a group of local officials called the inability committee could declare that the mayor can’t carry out their responsibilities. The committee is made up of the comptroller, corporation counsel, council speaker, a deputy mayor chosen by the mayor and the longest-serving borough president. 

Comptroller Brad Lander said he would seek a meeting of the committee if Adams can’t prove his ability to govern, but questions remain about the committee’s jurisdiction, as it was originally formed for cases of physical incapacity, not other controversies.