Rev. Al Sharpton To Host Summit Concerning NYC Mayor Adams
Written by djfrosty on February 13, 2025
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
Reverend Al Sharpton is convening a gathering of top Black officials to address New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ relationship with President Donald Trump.
As news broke of the Justice Department recommending that federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams be dropped, one of Adams’ allies is acting on his concern about the situation. The Reverend Al Sharpton is gathering top elected Black officials to meet to determine whether they will pull support from Adams as Mayor and in the upcoming Democratic mayoral 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.”
The longtime civil rights activist expressed his concern over Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove’s memo, which states that the charges be dropped against Adams so that he can further President Donald Trump’s agenda of detaining and deporting more immigrants in New York City. “It is unheard of in a criminal justice proceeding to suggest you not deal with the criminal allegations for political or policy reasons,” Sharpton said, adding: “So if the mayor were to disagree with the president, does that mean they have the right to call a trial on him at any time? It certainly sounds like President Trump is holding the mayor hostage.” The memo did state that the DOJ can revisit the case at a later time.
The summit is expected to include House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, NY State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Attorney General Letitia James along with several clergy leaders. “A potential loss of Al Sharpton is huge because you don’t want him against you,” Fordham University political science professor Dr. Christine 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.”
As for Adams, he took the memo as vindication in a video address to the city on Tuesday, saying: “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.”