Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams argued that the Biden administration’s Justice Department engaged in ‘lawfare’ against the former president’s political opponents, including himself on corruption allegations and President Donald Trump over issues such as mishandling classified documents.
‘I think what we have witnessed under President Biden’s Justice Department, Americans should never have to live through that again,’ Adams said on Monday during an appearance on Fox News’ ‘The Story.’
‘You saw everyday Americans who fought for the education of their children being put on watch lists, I think that you saw what happened with Charlie Kirk, when you saw the raiding of President Trump’s home. Debates should have happened … I think that you’re seeing the clear indication that the Justice Department under the previous administration used lawfare to go after those who disagree with them,’ he added.
Asked if he felt as angry about the alleged weaponization of the DOJ before he was targeted, Adams said ‘personal experience allows us to see firsthand the abuse.’
‘I spent my entire life, not only as a police officer, but as a state senator and borough president fighting against injustices,’ Adams said. ‘There’s a real history, a rich history, of me standing up and fighting what the criminal justice system should never be. Yes, that anger was there long before I was a target, but what I saw happen while I was the mayor is really deplorable, and we saw what happened to President Trump’s family as well.’
‘If you were to go back and look at my life story on criminal justice reform and not abuse, it goes back to being a young man who was abused at the hands of law enforcement,’ he continued. ‘And so I’ve always been a clear voice, and it really personalized it of what I was fighting for years because I experienced the lawfare myself.’
Adams was indicted in September 2024 on federal corruption charges related to bribery, wire fraud and accepting illegal foreign campaign contributions from Turkish officials and businessmen. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The mayor has insisted that the case was politically motivated over his criticism of how the Biden administration handled illegal immigration, but prosecutors in the Southern District of New York said in court filings that the investigation began in September 2021, before Adams’ public criticism of the government’s immigration policies or his mayoral election win.
The charges were dropped earlier this year at the request of the Trump administration.
Adams is set to leave office at the turn of the new year, when Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in.