Donald Trump says he would consider pardoning New York City Mayor Eric Adams
WASHINGTON ― President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he would consider pardoning New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who faces bribery, fraud and campaign finance charges as part of a Justice Department corruption investigation.
"Yeah, I would," Trump said at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida when asked whether he would consider a pardon for the Democratic mayor. "I think that he was treated pretty unfairly."
Trump added that he would "certainly look at it."
Trump's remarks come days after Adams, an outspoken critic of the Biden administration's handling of migration, met with Trump's incoming "border czar" Tom Homan at the request of the mayor. Mass deportations and other immigration proposals were the centerpiece of Trump's 2024 campaign.
Since Trump's election victory, Adams has expressed openness toward Trump, greeting the president-elect at a UFC fight at Madison Square Garden and leaving open the possibility of leaving the Democratic Party.
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Trump, referring to Adams' federal charges, added that he hadn't "seen the gravity of it all," but went on to downplay the allegations against the mayor.
"It seems like being upgraded in a plane many years ago. I know probably everybody here has probably been upgraded," Trump said, speaking to reporters. "I mean, I'd have to see it because I don't know the facts," he later said.
Federal prosecutors have accused Adams of illegally receiving campaign donations from Turkish diplomats and businesspeople and accepting luxury travel perks from Turkish nationals, including rooms at opulent hotels, meals at high-end restaurant and free travel on a Turkish airline.
In return, Adams is accused of pressuring city officials to allow the country's new 36-story Turkish consulate to open despite safety concerns, prosecutors allege.
Adams has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
Trump suggested the Justice Department might have targeted Adams because of the mayor's resistance to Biden over migration at the southern border.
"You know, it's very interesting," Trump said. "When he essentially went against what is happening with the migrants coming in ? he made some pretty strong statements, like this is not sustainable ? I said, 'you know what? He'll be indicted soon.' And I said it, not as a prediction, a little bit lightheartedly. But I said it. I said, 'He's going to be indicted.' And a few months later, he got indicted."
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he would consider pardoning NYC Mayor Eric Adams