NEW YORK, United States (CMC) — Jamaican-American New York City Mayoral Candidate Michael Blake on Wednesday condemned a United States federal judge’s dismissal of corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Manhattan Federal Judge Dale Ho on Wednesday dismissed “with prejudice” the sweeping public corruption charges against Adams, ruling that, “There may or may not be good reasons to drop this prosecution. But the reasons articulated by DOJ (Department of Justice), if taken at face value, are inconsistent with a decision to leave the charges in the indictment hanging like the proverbial sword of Damocles over the mayor.”

But Blake, the son of Jamaican immigrants, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that, “the dropping of the charges against Eric Adams doesn’t change the obvious. Eric Adams likely broke the law with an illegal campaign donation pay-to-play scheme”.

“He is just being saved by a Trump Justice Department that expects him to be their lackey,” said Blake, one of the prospective nine candidates vying to oppose the mayor in the June Democratic Primary.

“Judge Ho bowing to King Trump by dropping charges is the latest attack on our belief in government,” he added. “We need judges who will demand accountability, not turn a blind eye to blatant corruption.”

“The timing is not a surprise, given that it’s the day before MAGA (Make America Great Again) Eric needs to decide if he is still running as a Democrat,” Blake continued. “Once again, Trump and Elon (Musk) are trying to save Eric.”

“Trump continues creating legal chaos and fear—not hope or order,” he said. “Today is the latest reminder that we desperately need a new generation of Black leadership.”

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, no relations with the mayor, said Ho’s decision “does not absolve Mayor Adams of his actions”.

“It also does not end the chaos and shame this has brought on our city with other ongoing criminal cases and investigations of the mayor’s office,” said Speaker Adams, who is expected to be among the mayor’s challengers in the June Primary. “As Judge Ho stated in his ruling, ‘Everything here smacks of a bargain: Dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions.”

“Our city’s mayor should never be in the position of bargaining away New Yorkers and their rights,” she said. “The extraordinary decision was only caused by the quid pro quo attempted between the Trump administration and Eric Adams.”

“It sends a terrible message and is a glaring example of double standards in our justice system, where the powerful evade accountability that is often faced by the average person,” Speaker Adams added. “This undermines equal justice under law that should be a pillar of our justice system.

“New Yorkers deserve strong, independent and focused leadership that won’t bend or cower to Trump and Elon Musk,” she continued. “Protecting our city and working families from their attacks must be our top priority, without the distractions and instability that have compromised this administration.”

On Wednesday, Judge Ho dismissed the charges against Adams “with prejudice”, meaning that they cannot be refiled in the future.

Last month, Caribbean immigration advocates strongly condemned Adams’s appearance before the US Congressional Committee on Oversight amid heightened calls for his resignation over reported collusion with Trump over mass deportations.