TOM HOMAN GETS PERSONAL: The cascade of resignations inside the Department of Justice continues today as allegations of a quid pro quo between the mayor and the Trump administration burst into the open. And pressure on Hochul to remove the mayor is mounting — but Mayor Eric Adams’ departure may not be so imminent. As all of it unfolds around him, Adams is ramping up his tour on conservative media where he has increasingly become beloved — even if he appears coerced. Adams sat down with President Donald Trump’s border czar this morning on Fox & Friends, where the implicit threat over Adams to carry out Trump’s deportation bordered on the obscene. “If he doesn’t come through, I’ll be back in New York City, and we won’t be sitting on the couch,” Homan said of Adams’ pledge to help with immigration enforcement. “I’ll be in his office, up his butt, saying where the hell is the agreement we came to?” Adams laughed. The DOJ’s conditional order to drop the corruption charges against Adams so that, in part, he can enforce Trump’s deportation plan has reportedly led to at least seven resignations inside the department. “I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me,” the lead prosecutor Hagan Scotten wrote in his pointed resignation letter. This afternoon, Reuters reported someone within the DOJ finally agreed to file a motion to dismiss the charges against Adams. Just days ago, Hochul said she was “not at all inclined to undo the will of the people and overturn an election.” On Thursday, her message changed. “This just happened,” Hochul said Thursday night when asked if she would remove Adams. “I need some time to process this and figure out the right approach.” The calls for the governor to act are mounting. Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, the No. 2 in the state Senate, wants Hochul to remove Adams if he doesn’t resign. AOC and Hochul’s own Lt. Gov. — whose early call for former President Joe Biden to step out of the race turned prescient — also called on Adams to step down. And Attorney General Letitia James hinted at high-level discussions over his removal today as well. But Rev. Al Shaprton, a key voice within Adams’ political base of Black voters, is signaling that calls from him and others for Hochul to remove Adams need to wait until Judge Dale Ho, who is presiding over the case, makes a ruling. “We first need to see them file the papers and see what the judge is going to say,” Sharpton told Playbook. “If the judge comes back and says I’m not letting you stop the trial, there’s nothing for her to do. If the judge says that the charges are out, then you have an appeal to the governor because you can say the criminal justice system did not answer this. So what are we asking to do — to preempt the judge?” Sharpton, who has known Adams for decades, noted that there’s a personal aspect to the situation for him. “It is very harmful to me to see [Adams] in this position, but it is not going to make me betray what I believe is best for the people that follow our movement and what we’re doing,” he added. “If he’s being used as a hostage, I’ve got to call that out, and he understands that. But the one that put him in that position is Trump.” Meanwhile, Adams is ramping up a tour on conservative media. His interview with Trump surrogate Dr. Phil aired this afternoon and his Fox & Friends interview was preceded by an appearance on the conservative WABC radio’s “Cats & Cosby” show. “Mr. Mayor, we love you; we appreciate you,” radio host Rita Cosby told Adams on Thursday. New York Republican Party chair Ed Cox also chimed in. “Thank you for the job you're doing Mr. Mayor,” he said. — Jason Beeferman
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