Eric Adams faces tough questions from Democrats at House 'sanctuary cities' hearing

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, testifying before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, faced calls to resign from Democratic lawmakers who accused him of betraying his constituents and capitulating to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in exchange for the Justice Department dropping federal corruption charges against him.

Again and again Adams refused to directly answer questions from Democrats about whether he discussed his criminal case with President Donald Trump and his team.

"There's no deal. No quid pro quo. And I did nothing wrong," Adams said repeatedly when pressed about the Department of Justice’s move to suspend the charges last month.

Gillen questions spending 

Adams received praise from several Republicans on the panel for his open support of Trump’s crackdown; Democrats described the mayor as beholden to Trump.

Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre), while not a member of the committee, requested the ability to participate and question Adams. She used her time to question the mayor over the money spent to shelter migrants and called on him to resign.

Gillen and Adams had a heated exchange after the congresswoman said she had "no confidence" in his ability to "continue to serve and lead our city."

Adams interrupted Gillen and shot back: "But you don’t live in New York City, you live on Long Island."

Gillen, finishing her remarks, told the mayor: "You should resign, and I said that before you made your deal with Donald Trump," prompting Adams to respond, "Thank God you don’t live in New York City."

Gillen, whose Nassau district borders Queens, replied, "everything that happens" in the city "affects my constituents, Mayor."

Before starting her questioning, Gillen in prepared remarks said the border crisis had placed "a strain on our schools, on public safety, on law enforcement and local governments" and told Adams his response to the influx of migrants that arrived in the city over the past two years "compounded the crisis" by "not only giving them food and shelter, but also debit cards."

Sanctuary cities vital, Adams says

After being sworn in with the other mayors attending the hearing, Adams defended sanctuary cities as vital for those who are law-abiding — and noted that, in New York City, crime continues to fall. But he said he’s committed to collaborating with immigration enforcers on combating violent gangs and those who exploit children.

"Comprehensive immigration reform is long overdue," he said. "While the solution is not within my control, as a mayor, I am committed to working with federal officials — no matter who is president — to go after violent gangs and those who harm residents of our city."

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the committee chairman, praised Adams for being the most willing of the mayors when it came to "detaining the most criminal illegals" and called for sanctuary cities to lose their federal funding.

"We cannot let pro-criminal, alien policies in obstructionist sanctuary cities continue to endanger American communities and the safety of federal immigration enforcement officers," Comer said at the hearing.

While Adams was met with friendly remarks by Comer and other Republicans on the panel, others pilloried him, as well as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.

At least two House members suggested criminal charges should be brought against the mayors.

"We've had enough. America's fed up with this betrayal of oath," said Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), adding: "America is moving into a new era of enforcement of our own laws. Welcome to it."

Seven resignations

Adams faced some of his toughest questions from Democrats in the room.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx) used her time questioning Adams to highlight the resignation of seven federal prosecutors following the Justice Department's decision to suspend the charges against Adams, who is accused of defrauding the city's finance system and accepting lavish gifts including luxury hotel stays and airline tickets from Turkish nationals. He has denied any wrongdoing.

"The acting U.S. Attorney [Danielle Sassoon] resigned, rather than dismiss the charges against Mayor Adams," said Ocasio-Cortez, noting Sassoon was a Trump appointee who served as a former clerk to the late conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. 

Ocasio-Cortez pressed Adams to answer questions about the Jan. 31 meeting between his personal attorneys and DOJ officials in Washington before the charges were dropped, but the mayor repeatedly asserted that he could not go into detail about the meeting in "deference" to U.S. District Court Judge Dale Ho’s ongoing review of the legality of dropping the charges.

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan defended Adams in a Wednesday post on X: "Mayor Adams is trying to protect New Yorkers from violent illegal aliens."

Meanwhile, at New York City Hall on Wednesday morning, critics of Adams rallied — holding placards saying, "STAND UP FOR SANCTUARY."