Updated February 20, 2025 at 17:41 PM ET
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday she won't use her executive power to remove embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office.
During a press conference, Hochul said she believes voters should decide Adams' fate and she also cautioned that a removal process could spin out of control.
"I also have concerns about disruption and chaos that such a move, such a proceeding, could bring to the residents of this great city," Hochul said. "It's not impossible we'd have multiple mayors of this city in the course of one year."
Instead, as reported earlier by Gothamist and WNYC, Hochul plans to introduce measures that would boost state oversight over Adams' administration and City Hall.
The monitoring regimen will include the creation of a new state deputy inspector general with broad authority to watch over the city's dealings. But many of those actions will require approval from New York's state Legislature.
It's unclear how many could be implemented before the mayoral election in November. Despite his political and legal troubles, Adams is seeking a second term.
Hochul insisted she's not ducking a fight with Trump.
"Those of you who conclude this decision is because of pressure from any groups or individuals, I say this: You do not know me," she said.
Still, her decision not to act is a major victory for Adams at a time when controversy linked to federal corruption charges and his growing ties to the Trump administration have embroiled city hall. Four of his deputy mayors abruptly resigned earlier this week.
It's also a win for President Trump, who will retain a political ally — critics say Adams is "under Trump's thumb" — at the helm of America's largest city at a time when the White House is moving aggressively to crack down on migrants without legal status.
Earlier in the week, Hochul herself issued a statement saying "alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored."
Hochul's decision not to exercise her authority to remove Adams from office came despite growing pressure from critics within New York's Democratic Party.
"The last thing the people of New York want is for our city to turn into an annex of the Trump administration, yet that's exactly what is happening," said state Sen. Mike Gianaris in a post on social media. "Eric Adams is clearly compromised and can no longer be considered the legitimate leader of our city."
U.S. Justice Department officials have been transparent about the fact that they moved to halt criminal proceedings against Adams so that he would be able to assist the Trump administration in pursuing migrants without legal status.
DOJ officials have also made it clear they could revive those criminal charges and re-indict Adams at any point — raising questions about Adams' ability to make independent decisions without fear of reprisal.
On Wednesday at a federal hearing about the DOJ case in Manhattan, Judge Dale Ho was asked whether he had been threatened by Trump administration officials. Adams replied, "No, your honor."
Ho is expected to rule soon on whether five bribery and corruption charges will be suspended.
Meanwhile, during a joint appearance on Fox News last week, Trump border czar Tom Homan appeared to warn that Adams would be punished if cooperation in migrant enforcement doesn't continue.
"If [Adams] doesn't come through, I'll be back in New York City … in his office, up his butt, saying, 'Where the hell is the agreement we came to?' " Homan said.
Speaking Thursday, Hochul said she believes the Trump administration is attempting to improperly "coerce" city and state officials, describing the Trump White House as "a threat" to New Yorkers.
"Given how aggressive the Trump administration has been and how disturbing the comments from the president's border czar were, we know they'll stop at nothing to try and exercise control over New York," Hochul said.
Adams has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, despite evidence gathered by federal investigators that he accepted lavish vacations and improper campaign contributions from agents working for the Turkish government.
According to Adams, his growing cooperation with Trump on immigration policy, including a decision this month to allow federal authorities to operate at the city's jail facility on Rikers Island, reflects his desire to improve public safety.
On Thursday, Adams was asked about the possibility of Gov. Hochul imposing new restrictions on his power and authority. Adams declined to answer and ended the press conference.
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