Rev. Al Sharpton is organizing a summit where political leaders and elected officials can discuss the federal corruption charges looming over Mayor Adams and their ramifications — and urged Gov. Hochul Saturday not to remove Hizzoner over the indictment alone.
“I have called an emergency meeting of New York City and state leaders in the next few days to discuss how we collectively address this situation,” the longtime Adams ally and civil-rights leader told The Post.
“The mayor deserves his due process and his day in court, and the focus of our discussion will be whether or how a city that’s two-thirds Black and Brown is governed to meet their needs.
“But we also need to avoid claims that the Biden administration or a Black U.S. Attorney [Damian Williams] are targeting an elected official over policy disagreements,” added Sharpton, referring to Adams’ claim that he’s being persecuted by the feds for speaking out about the city’s migrant crisis.
At Saturday’s weekly National Action Network rally in Harlem, Sharpton said he hoped to convene the meeting with city and state leaders next week and reach a “united point of view.”
He also urged New Yorkers to avoid casting judgment against Adams and instead wait for a verdict.
“I have known Eric Adams for 35 years. I’ve never known him to have any leanings towards criminality. He [deserves] due process,” he said, noting that disgraced Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez resigned from office only after he was convicted on corruption charges.
Sharpton also called for Gov. Hochul to resist mounting pressure for her to exercise her power to remove the sitting mayor.
“Where is the precedent for an indictment making you have to step aside? No, if the mayor decides he cannot run the city well and defend himself then he will have to make that decision,” Sharpton said.
“We want the city to work, we want the city to run, but we do not want to set a precedent that will come back on anybody else.”
Other longtime allies, including Assemblywomen Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Queens) and Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-Brooklyn) echoed Sharpton’s sentiments.
“Every American is presumed innocent until proven guilty. And every American deserves due process and equal protection under the law, including the Mayor of New York City,” said Rajkumar, a near-constant presence at Adams’ press conferences.
A bipartisan group of more than 40 elected officials, however, have since called for Adams to resign following mushrooming federal investigations into his administration, an exodus of top aides, and now federal charges accusing him of accepting $123,000 in bribes as well as illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral race in exchange for influence and favors.
The growing chorus now counts Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx/Queens) Jerry Nadler (D-Manhattan), Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik; the 19 members of the City Council progressive caucus; longtime Adams ally Councilman Robert Holden, a moderate Queens Democrat; Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Comptroller Brad Lander.
https://nypost.com/2024/09/28/us-news/al-sharpton-calls-for-ny-pols-meeting-on-adams-corruption/
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