Indicted New York Mayor Eric Adams leaves open switch to GOP: report
His approval rating might be at rock bottom, but New York City Mayor Eric Adams may bring his lack of popularity to a new political party.
An October Marist Poll cited 69% of New Yorkers who wanted to see Adams resign after his federal indictment.
On Friday, Politico revealed that Adams may quit, but not his job. Adams may switch parties back to being a Republican.
"Adams was a member of the GOP from 1995 to 2002 and was asked during an appearance on NY1 whether he would return to the party. He did not rule out the possibility," the report said.
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"I'm a part of the American party," he said in response. "I love this country."
He was then asked to clarify what he meant and the response opened the door to pivoting away from Democrats.
"No matter what party I'm on or vote on, I'm going to push for American values," he said on PIX11.
He then argued that politics needs to move beyond partisanship.
Under pressure, he finally stated, "I've been a Democrat for many years, and I'm going to run for reelection as a Democrat."
MSNBC's Jonathan Lemire probed Adams about his "cozying up" to incoming President Donald Trump. He dodged the question, pivoting instead to talk about his career and lament, "What I'm going through right now, no American should go through that."
The report notes that Adams, unlike other New York Democratic political leaders, "took pains to avoid criticizing Trump."
He's now preparing to meet with Trump's advisers, including incoming "border czar" Tom Homan.
"Those who don't like it, they will cancel me," Adams said on PIX11. "I say: Cancel me. I'm for America."
The U.S. Justice Department indicted Adams in September. In a release, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams alleged that he "abused his position" as mayor "and before that as Brooklyn Borough President."
Williams accused Adams of taking "bribes and solicit[ng] illegal campaign contributions."
If Adams is convicted, he could seek a pardon or commutation from the president. In the past, Trump has been empathetic to Democratic politicians who have ended up on the wrong side of the law.
During his first term, the incoming president pardoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, who served time for corruption charges for trying to sell Barack Obama's senate seat when he was elected president in 2008.