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Feb. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. District of Southern New York Judge Dale Ho delayed ruling on a motion to dismiss charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams after holding a case conference Wednesday. Adams attended the case conference where his attorneys argued there was no "quid pro quo" with the Department of Justice to dismiss the federal case against him that was filed last year while President Joe Biden was in office, the New York Post reported.
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Attorney Alex Spiro offered to swear under oath that Adams did not arrange a deal to end the case and said the motion to dismiss, if granted, would not prevent charges from being filed in the future.
DOJ attorneys said the case against Adams would make it impossible for him to address illegal immigration and violence in New York City while defending himself in court.
While under oath, Adams told Ho he has not committed any crimes and he doesn't anticipate the charges against him eventually would be refiled.
Ho suggested he would rule on the motion to dismiss the case without prejudice soon, but did not state a timeline for doing so.
"It's not in anyone's interest here for this to drag on," Ho said during the case conference. "But to exercise my discretion properly, I'm not going to shoot from the hip right here on the bench."
Ho ordered the case conference hearing to discuss the potential dismissal of federal charges against Adams, USA Today reported.
Officials with the Department of Justice on Friday filed a motion to dismiss the case and all related charges against Adams.
In his order to all involved parties, Ho said the DOJ's motion says, "Adams has consented in writing to this motion," but that document has not been presented to the court.
Ho ordered all parties to appear for a conference at 2 p.m. EST and no later than 5 p.m. to address the reasons for the government's motion and the "scope and effect of Mayor Adams' 'consent in writing.'"
Adams earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges accusing him of corruption and fraud and said they are politically motivated due to his criticism of the Biden administration's handling of immigration.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove Adams as New York City's mayor and on Tuesday met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and others to discuss whether or not she should remove Adams, CBS News reported.
Hochul in a statement issued Monday said no New York governor in the state's 235-year history has removed a "duly-elected mayor."
"Overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly," she said.
A coalition of nearly a dozen Black New York lawmakers wrote Hochul to oppose efforts to remove Adams prior to New York City's June primary, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.
"As Black legislators, we have seen this over and over again: double standards and unfair process when it comes to our leaders. If a move against the mayor is made without a justifiable legal reason, our communities will never forget it."
The federal charges against Adams accuse him of accepting bribes from representatives of Turkey to gain approval to open a new Turkish consulate in New York City.
