New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed the last time he was running for office to hinder federal efforts to deport illegal aliens and indicated that he would preserve the city's "sanctuary city status." Faced with the fallout of the ruinous Democratic policies he once supported, Adams appears increasingly open to meaningful correctives along the lines of those advocated by President-elect Donald Trump.

Adams recently found another reason to criticize President Joe Biden and his administration. Following his federal indictment on bribery and fraud charges in September, the mayor has taken aim at the outbound Democratic administration over its politicization of the justice system.

At a press conference last week, Adams read the following line from a New York Times article pertaining to Biden's blanket pardon of his felonious son: "President Biden and President-elect Donald J. Trump now agree on one thing: The Biden Justice Department has been politicized."

Adams said, "I rest my case," then worked backward through his defense, reportedly emphasizing the perceived unfairness of his case.

Days later, when speaking to the titular host of CBS News' "The Point with Marcia Kramer," Adams discussed the impact of the indictment on his family and the immense cost of fighting to clear his name.

"It's been hard on the entire family. Marcia, I had to spend $2 million as a public servant in legal fees. Where does a public servant get that?" said Adams. "And now we're hearing others are saying that Biden should pardon people because it's been difficult on their families and difficult on them, and they will have to pay high legal fees. Well, what about me?"

Although Adams' concerns with the federal justice system primarily appear to be self-serving, he noted, "What about those mothers who are placed on FBI watch lists because they were standing up for their children?"

Citing whistleblower reports, U.S. House Judiciary Republicans claimed in May 2022 that the Department of Justice and the FBI "were using counterterrorism statutes and resources to target parents at school board meetings." The FBI's counterterrorism division and criminal division reportedly announced the creation of the threat tag "EDUOFFICIALS" and directed all FBI personnel to apply it to school board-related threats. FBI offices subsequently "opened investigations with the EDUOFFICIALS threat tag in almost every region of the country and relating to all types of educational settings."

Blaze News previously reported that Garret O'Boyle, the indefinitely suspended FBI special agent who helped expose the apparent scheme, also highlighted other questionable activities executed by the FBI that signaled the bureau's politicization, including its alleged use of uncorroborated and ambiguous information and unreliable tips to push Jan. 6-related investigations; its use of patriotic symbols such as the Betsy Ross American flag and the Gadsden "Don't Tread on Me" flag to help define domestic terrorists; and its investigation of journalist James O'Keefe III and Project Veritas.

'These are bad people.'

When Kramer asked Adams whether he believed the FBI was politicized, the mayor answered, "Yes I do. With all my heart. But not only do I believe it, the president stated it. Donald Trump stated it. And countless others. You should look at some of these stories, what happens to people that stand up because of what they believe in."

Adams intimated once again that he ran afoul of the Biden administration by changing course on illegal immigration.

The mayor said in September, "I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you that I would be a target, and a target I became," reported Politico. "I put people of New York before party and politics."

Trump agreed that the Biden DOJ was punishing Adams for failing to fall in line, stating, "I watched about a year ago when he talked about how the illegal migrants are hurting our city, and the federal government should pay us, and we shouldn't have to take them. And I said: You know what? He'll be indicted within a year. And I was exactly right."

"These are dirty players. These are bad people. They cheat," said Trump. "These are bad people, and we need an honest Justice Department, we need an honest FBI, and we need it fast."

When announcing Adams' charges, FBI Assistant Director James Dennehy said, "Today's indictment serves as a sobering moment but also sends a powerful message to every elected official in this country: Public service is a profound responsibility, and it should be a noble calling. When that's perverted by greed and dishonesty, it robs us of our trust."

Last week, CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten highlighted the precipitous decline in trust among Americans in the FBI. Whereas in 2014, Gallup indicated 59% of Americans believed the FBI was doing an "excellent or good job," that number slid to 50% by 2022. This year, the number fell to 41%.

"Look at where we are today, my goodness gracious, just 41% of Americans think the FBI is doing an excellent or good job. That is by far the lowest number this century," said Enten.

Adams, who told Kramer, "Americans should not be treated unfairly in [the] criminal justice system," has been charged with one count of conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and to commit wire fraud and bribery; one count of wire fraud; and two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals.

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