AOC Clashes With Eric Adams, Asks If He Thinks He’ll ‘Incriminate’ Himself

Democratic New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clashed with New York City Mayor Eric Adams during a congressional hearing on Wednesday, as Ocasio-Cortez grilled the mayor on the Department of Justice‘s (DOJ) move to drop a criminal case against him.

The back-and-forth got so heated that at one point, Ocasio-Cortez asked the Democratic mayor if he wasn’t answering a question because he believed he would “incriminate” himself.

Newsweek reached out to Adams’ office via email for comment.

The Context

The DOJ made the controversial decision last month to move to dismiss felony bribery charges against Adams so the mayor can assist President Donald Trump with enforcing his immigration agenda.

The DOJ’s directive to drop the case prompted more than half a dozen career federal prosecutors to resign from the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office—including acting U.S. attorney Danielle Sassoon—and from the Justice Department’s federal public corruption unit in Washington, D.C.

It also spurred calls from several Democrats, including Ocasio-Cortez, for Adams to resign or otherwise be removed from office by Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

What To Know

During a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez confronted Adams over the DOJ’s decision and the events leading up to it.

She first asked the mayor about whether he was aware that his lawyers met with top DOJ officials on January 31 to discuss dropping the case against him. The meeting was first reported in The New York Times.

Adams replied: “As I stated to your colleagues and I am going to continue to state, because we’re asking the same question over and over again—”

“This isn’t the same question,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Adams then said that because the DOJ’s motion to drop his criminal case is still pending in front of a judge, he would decline to answer “out of deference to our criminal justice system.”

Ocasio-Cortez pushed back, telling Adams that “the only permissible way to refuse to answer a question during a congressional proceeding such as this is by pleading the Fifth Amendment.”

“Deference to the judge is not a permissible excuse for not answering questions during a congressional hearing,” she said. “Is it your intention to plead the Fifth today?”

Adams repeated that he would not answer the question because the motion was still pending before Judge Dale E. Ho.

The New York congresswoman continued pressing Adams, asking him if he was aware that Sassoon was present at the January 31 meeting between Adams’ lawyers, New York federal prosecutors and top DOJ officials.

“As I stated, and you, congresswoman, you appear to want to ask the question over and over again … this case is in front of Judge Ho—”

“OK, I understand,” Ocasio-Cortez said, cutting Adams off. “Mayor Adams, are you not answering this question because you believe you will incriminate yourself?”

Adams continued to say that out of “deference” to Ho, he would decline to answer Ocasio-Cortez’s questions.

What People Are Saying

Democratic Representative Robert Garcia of California also confronted Adams during the hearing: “Mr. Mayor, it appears to me, at least, that you are selling New Yorkers out. It appears that you are working with [Trump’s border czar] Tom Homan, who is clearly focused on family separation and deportations and harming New Yorkers and others across the country.”

Garcia later wrote on X: “Eric Adams is selling out New Yorkers to save himself from prosecution from Trump’s DOJ. He should resign.”

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi shortly before Sassoon resigned, the former U.S. attorney expressed concerns about dropping the Adams case, writing in part: Adams’ lawyers “repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed.”

What Happens Next

Ho held off last month from ruling on the DOJ’s motion to drop the case, telling lawyers for Adams and the Justice Department that he would not “shoot from the hip.” He also appointed conservative lawyer Paul Clement to present “friends of the court” arguments against the DOJ’s motion to dismiss the charges.

Two Democratic lawmakers on Monday sent a letter to Bondi, accusing the DOJ of a cover-up related to the Adams case.

“We write to demand that you immediately put an end to the cover-up and retaliation and provide documents and information about these disturbing accounts to Congress,” Democratic Representatives Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Jasmine Crockett of Texas wrote.

Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro, told reporters in a previous statement that “the idea that there was a quid pro quo is a total lie. We offered nothing and the department asked nothing of us.”