Rev. Al Sharpton, a key ally to Mayor Eric Adams, suggested Tuesday that he and other prominent Black leaders are reconsidering their support for him and his reelection bid after President Trump’s Justice Department moved to drop corruption charges against Hizzoner.
Sharpton released a blistering statement saying he is “concerned” about the DOJ memo, written by the department’s acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove and sent to Manhattan federal prosecutors on Monday directing them to drop the charges against Adams.
The long-time civil rights activist said Bove’s reasoning that DOJ is dropping the charges, partially so that Adams can assist in Trump’s mass deportation efforts, is akin to Trump “holding the mayor hostage.” The Justice Department is asking for the case to be dropped without prejudice, giving it the leeway to resurrect the charges at any time.
Sharpton, who has long been a supporter and friend of the mayor, said on Feb. 11 that news of the memo led him to reach out to other leading New York Black officials to discuss whether they will continue to back Adams as mayor and in this year’s Democratic primary.
“I have spoken to several elected officials and clergy, whom I convened early in the Mayor’s term, to meet between now and the weekend to decide where we will go,” Sharpton said. “Because we have clearly crossed the Rubicon.”
‘All options’ on the table
The New York Times reported that Sharpton said “all options” are on the table, and that the other Black electeds in the meeting will include leading House Democrats from New York, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn and Rep. Gregory Meeks of Queens.
The “options” would include consulting Gov. Kathy Hochul about potentially removing Adams from office — something which the governor is empowered to do under the City Charter. But earlier Tuesday, Hochul showed little appetite to remove Adams from office when asked by reporters.
Losing the support of Sharpton and other Black leaders could be a major blow to Adams’ re-election campaign, which has lagged in most public polls for an incumbent mayor.
Adams, for his part, presented the DOJ’s move as vindication in a live video address to New Yorkers on Tuesday afternoon.
“I thank the Justice Department for its honesty,” Adams said. “Now, we can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of our city. It’s time to move forward.”
Sharpton also took issue with Bove’s arguments for why the DOJ is moving to drop the charges, none of which have to do with the facts on which the indictment is based.
The reverend rebutted Bove’s claim that former US Attorney Damian Williams brought the case as a means of political retribution against Adams for criticizing former President Biden’s immigration policies. That is an argument that Adams himself has repeatedly made without presenting any evidence to back it up.
Furthermore, Sharpton called Bove’s assertion that Manhattan prosecutors brought the case too close to the 2025 primary “nonsense.”
“The argument that prosecutors cannot bring a case nine months before a primary is nonsense, considering that would also preclude any Congressional candidate from running every two years,” Sharpton said. “They’re talking to New Yorkers as if we have no sense of a game being played — when we have the ability to spot one before it even starts.”
‘You don’t want him against you’
Sharpton’s statement was the first sign that he could be looking to pull his support for Adams after standing by the mayor for the past several months following his indictment. He penned an op-ed last summer before Adams was indicted, praising the mayor’s management abilities and warning against treating him the same way as the city’s first Black mayor, the late David Dinkins.
Dr. Christina Greer, a Fordham University political science professor, said that losing Sharpton’s support could further diminish Adams’ re-election hopes.
“A potential loss of Al Sharpton is huge because you don’t want him against you,” Greer said. ” He’s an organizer, a brilliant one at that, and has been for a very long time, and knows all five boroughs of New York City. But he also has a very strong, active, loyal collection of people who really do listen and respect his political analysis.”
It is not clear who Sharpton would support in the crowded field if not Adams, Greer said. He could back the only other Black candidate in the race, Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, or potentially former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, if and when he decides to jump in the field. Cuomo has consistently led recent polls of the Democratic primary field by double-digits despite not having officially jumped into the race.
Basil Smikle, a political consultant and former head of the state Democratic party, said that the DOJ’s memo and Adams’ favorable treatment of Trump in recent months put him at odds with Sharpton and the city’s other Black leaders.
“I don’t know if this means that the mayor won’t get Sharpton’s endorsement,” Smikle said. “But it does mean that it puts the mayor’s former statements and current posture in direct conflict with where a lot of his base and certainly most of the African American leaders of the city are right now.”
