Seven Immediate Thoughts On The Eric Adams Indictment

My quick reaction to the breaking NYC news before the indictment is unsealed.

(1). While Governor Kathy Hochul is very unlikely to remove Adams from office (she has the legal power to do so), doing so would likely get Andrew Cuomo out of her primary in 2026. Cuomo would be the favorite to win a mayoral special election, so it’s not entirely in her interest to keep Adams around. Hochul’s political cover to remove Adams will in large part depend on the details of the indictment but it’s a bolder move than she typically seems to make. 

(2). There is also something called the inability committee that could remove Adams. It’s made up of the corporation counsel (which is currently vacant), the Comptroller (Brad Lander), the City Council Speaker (Adrienne Adams), the longest serving Borough President (Donovan Richards), and a deputy mayor. It’s not clear to me there are 3 votes for removal given that some of the members may be loyal to Adams and some may not see removal or a special election as in their best political interests. 

(3). We don’t yet know what the indictment is for. If it’s for taking kickbacks, Adams will face massive pressure to immediately resign. He will resist, but it will be hard. If it’s for just presiding over a culture of corruption, he’d only resign if it’s part of a plea deal to avoid prison. If it’s for acting illegally on behalf of a foreign government, who knows? Odds are Adams neither resigns nor is removed by Hochul and remains mayor for the foreseeable future. 

(4). A mass wave of remaining top administration officials will head for the exits starting tomorrow. It is hard to imagine any of the Deputy Mayors other than Sheena Wright and Phil Banks staying in their jobs under an indicted boss. Many commissioners will leave too, as will multiple top level staffers in City Hall and at some agencies. City Hall has already been paralyzed in recent weeks. It’s impossible to see how it functions going forward. So New Yorkers lose. 

(5). If Cuomo does not run for mayor, there is a huge opening in the race for a moderate candidate. The most obvious and appealing answer is Congressman Ritchie Torres, but he seems resolute in not wanting to do it.

(6). The breadth of this investigation (or the collection of investigations) is stunning. It spans from the incredibly hyperlocal like the Police Commissioner’s brother shaking down local bars to potential illegal dealings with foreign governments including China. 

(7). This was all foreseeable. Adams had been investigated for corruption and nearly indicted when he was State Senator and Borough President. Andrew Yang very plainly warned the voters during a debate that this would happen. This is what happens when so few people bother to vote in primaries and why we cannot maintain a system of voting that is inconvenient and inaccessible to so many.