Since being stripped of his federal security clearance last fall due to his corruption indictment, Mayor Adams has been barred from receiving information on a range of sensitive issues, including “terroristic threats” to New York, his lawyer said in court Wednesday.
Alex Spiro, Adams’ defense attorney, made the revelation during a hearing called by Manhattan Federal Court Judge Dale Ho to grill prosecutors from President Trump’s Department of Justice on the highly unusual motion they’ve filed to try to dismiss the mayor’s indictment.
The motion, which asks the judge to toss the case with the understanding that it could be brought back as early November, argues Adams’ indictment has prevented him from working with the feds on both “national security” and “immigration” matters, specifically Trump’s efforts to target undocumented New Yorkers for deportation.
Elaborating on those points, Spiro said in Wednesday’s hearing the federal government pulled back Adams’ clearance “because of this case,” filed in September.
“I was there,” he said. “It was revoked after and because of the indictment.”
Specifically, the clearance revocation resulted in Adams being sidelined from taking part in meetings “at certain levels” convened by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, an FBI entity that works with the NYPD and serves as the local “front line of defense against terrorism, both international and domestic.”
“He is not getting access to … terroristic threats and other things like that from the federal government because of the pendency of this case,” Spiro said.
Spiro didn’t return emails asking for specifics.
Spiro’s acknowledgements came after he wrote in a Feb. 3 letter to Trump’s DOJ that Adams’ indictment has proven a major obstacle to carrying out his duties as mayor, including on the political side, impairing his reelection effort. Were the case to go to trial, Spiro wrote in the letter it would occupy 75% of Adams’ “waking hours.”
Spiro’s assessment sharpy contrasts with Adams’ insistence that his ability to perform his job hasn’t taken a hit from his criminal case. Adams often says he deserves credit for being able to “stay focused” amid his legal troubles.
In the hearing, Spiro said the return of Adams’ clearance “hinges upon” his case being dropped.
Emil Bove, Trump’s ex-personal attorney who’s now his No. 2 at DOJ, disagreed with Spiro on that point, telling the judge the president may actually be able to use executive power to restore Adams’ clearance. Still, Bove said “a lot of bureaucratic processes” are required and agreed Adams has been sidelined from participating on key matters due to the loss of his clearance.
Ho concluded Wednesday’s hearing without ruling on the Trump DOJ request to toss Adams’ case. The motion has hurled Adams’ administration into crisis; four of his deputy mayors have submitted resignations over concerns that the terms of Adams’ potential criminal case dismissal would make him beholden to Trump.
