New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has been indicted in a federal corruption investigation, is set to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday.
Adams’ office announced the mayor’s plan in a statement Thursday, touting it as a meeting that would benefit New Yorkers. “Mayor Adams has made quite clear his willingness to work with President-elect Trump and his incoming administration on behalf of New Yorkers — and that partnership with the federal government is critical to New York City’s success,” his spokesperson Fabian Levy said, adding that Adams was “looking forward to having a productive conversation.”
Multiple outlets have reported that the meeting is slated to take place at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump has been receiving foreign leaders and corporate CEOs seeking face time with him before his inauguration. Politico, citing the mayor’s spokesperson, reported that Adams’ trip to Florida will be on the taxpayers’ dime.
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As my colleague Ja’han Jones has pointed out, Adams and Trump have much more in common other than being New York City natives. Adams has also expressed a willingness to work with the Trump administration on immigration, and in December met with Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan.
Historically, it hasn’t been uncommon for lawmakers of different political affiliations to work together. Yet the circumstances under which the two men are meeting are notable.
Adams, who is up for re-election this year, is set to go to trial on charges of bribery and campaign finance offenses in April, two months before the Democratic primary. He has pleaded not guilty and claimed that he is being targeted by federal prosecutors because he criticized the Biden administration’s immigration policies — a defense that echoes Trump’s attacks on the Justice Department.
Even though the mayor has denied that he’s seeking a pardon from the incoming president, looming over the Friday meeting are Trump’s remarks last month indicating he would consider the possibility.
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“Yeah, I would — I think that he was treated pretty unfairly,” Trump said about Adams at a December news conference, though he added that he didn’t know the “gravity” of the allegations. “I mean, I’d have to see it, because I don’t know the facts.”
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
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