Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., confronted New York Mayor Eric Adams in a House Oversight hearing Wednesday about whether the Trump administration had coerced Adams into greater cooperation with federal law enforcement in order to spare himself from legal trouble.
“Mayor Adams, I also want to be very clear. Are you selling out New Yorkers to save yourself from prosecution?” Garcia asked.
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“There’s no deal. No quid pro quo. And I did nothing wrong,” Adams said, adding that he would not say more while a judge was reviewing his criminal case.
Adams was charged with bribery in September, and he pleaded not guilty. Last month, the Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors to drop their corruption case against Adams, leading a top prosecutor and Justice officials to resign. Adams has asked a judge to dismiss his case, citing prosecutorial misconduct.
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“Mr. Mayor, it appears to me, at least, that you are selling New Yorkers out. It appears that you are working with Tom Holman, who is clearly focused on family separation and deportations and harming New Yorkers and others across the country,” Garcia said. Homan is President Donald Trump’s border czar.
After Garcia spoke, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.., ranking member on the committee, broke in to double down on the question posed to Adams.
“I wanna be really clear,” Connolly said. “Were you pressured in exchange for the dropping and dismissal of criminal charges in your indictment to cooperate with the Trump administration on all fronts with respect to immigration? Did any such conversation take place?”
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“I think I was extremely clear. No quid pro quo, no agreement. I did nothing wrong but served the people of New York City,” Adams said.
Other mayors who appeared before the committee to answer questions about immigration enforcement included Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Mike Johnston of Denver and Michelle Wu of Boston.
