Can Adams lose his job? Hochul leaves door open to remove mayor amid quid pro quo allegations

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing pressure from within his party to resign from office following the Justice Department's move to drop the mayor's federal corruption case, with some Democrats implying Adams is compromised.

The reactions comes as Manhattan's top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, and other high-ranking DOJ officials resigned Thursday after she refused an order to drop corruption charges against Adams — a stunning escalation in a dayslong standoff over the Trump administration prioritizing political aims over criminal culpability. Adams has pleaded not guilty.

Sassoon, a Republican who was interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, accused the department of acceding to a “quid pro quo” — dropping the case to ensure Adams’ help with Trump’s immigration agenda — and said she was “confident” the Democratic mayor committed the crimes spelled out in his indictment, and even more.

Before the showdown, Sassoon said, prosecutors had been preparing to charge Adams with destroying evidence and instructing others to destroy evidence and provide false information to the FBI.

“I remain baffled by the rushed and superficial process by which this decision was reached,” Sassoon wrote Trump's new attorney general, Pam Bondi, on Wednesday.

The backlash against Mayor Adams has moved public officials, some of whom are running against Adams in the June primary, to call for his resignation or for his removal from office.

Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller, described Adams' situation as "sad, embarrassing, and enraging," while the previous comptroller, Scott Stringer, went further and stated the mayor was trapped in a "hostage situation." Both men are running against Adams in the Democratic primary.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a frequent critic of the cop-turned-mayor, also went on X, saying Adams was "putting the City of New York and its people at risk in exchange for escaping charges." She said if Adams doesn't resign, he "must" be removed, an idea Rep. Nydia Velazquez also shared on social media.

On Thursday night, Lieutenant Gov. Antonio Delgado became the highest-profile state official to join the resignation calls against Adams.

"New York City deserves a Mayor accountable to the people, not beholden to the President. Mayor Adams should step down," Delgado said on his personal X account.

A Hochul spokesperson told The Gothamist that Delgado "does not now and has never spoken on behalf of this administration."

However, hours after Delgado asked for the mayor's resignation, Hochul left the door open to use the removal powers against Adams amid the allegations made by Sassoon of a quid pro quo.

"I did see the letter that was issued by the Acting United States Attorney. The allegations are extremely concerning and serious," said Hochul in an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. "But I cannot, as the governor of this state have a knee-jerk reaction, politically motivated reaction, like a lot of other people are saying right know."

Hochul added she is focused on maintaining stability in New York City, saying she needs "some time to process this."

Can Eric Adams be removed from office?

Under the New York City Charter, Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove the mayor from office by presenting charges against the mayor and giving him "an opportunity to be heard in his defense."

A move to remove a siting New York City mayor, while legal, would be unprecedented. The last time a governor removed a city official was in the early 1930s, when then-Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt removed New York County Sherriff Thomas M. Farley. Other governors have threatened to use the charter's removal powers but declined to pursue action.

Only two mayors have resigned from office in the city's history: James J. Walker on Sept. 1, 1932; and William O'Dwyer on Sept. 2, 1950.

The charter also gives the local leaders another alternative to remove Adams: declare the mayor unable for office.

The clause allows for the formation of an five-member "inability committee" to consisting of the corporation counsel, the comptroller, the City Council Speaker, a deputy mayor designated by the mayor and the longest-serving borough president.

Four out of the five members have to agree to remove Adams.

On Friday, Council Member Tiffany Cában said in a statement the city’s Committee on Mayoral Inability "must step up immediately" if Hochul does not remove Adams from office.

A move to declare "mayoral inability" would be near-impossible and the environment to remove the second-ever Black mayor of New York City, while growing, remains low.