President-elect Donald Trump said he would pardon New York City Mayor Eric Adams, whom he believes "was treated pretty unfairly," the New York Post reported. Trump said this Monday during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence and resort.
President Joe Biden has recently engaged in his own pardon blitz on his way out of office. In light of this fact, a reporter media asked Trump about the likelihood of him doing the same for Adams, whom he has defended in the past.
"I would," Trump replied to the reporter's question. "I think that he was treated pretty unfairly," Trump added. One of the charges leveled at Adams involves an alleged bribe in the form of an upgraded ticket on a flight.
"Now, I haven’t seen the gravity of it all, but it seems like being upgraded on an airplane many years ago. I think everybody here has been upgraded. I’d have to see it because I don’t know the facts," Trump added.
Trump knows a thing or two about political targeting from his own cases, particularly in New York. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan Congress was shocked by the flagrant abuses in Trump's case, so much so that he launched a probe.
In April, Jordan addressed his concerns to Attorney General Merrick Garland in an open letter. "The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight of politically motivated prosecutions by state and local officials," Jordan wrote.
"Since last year, popularly elected prosecutors—who campaigned for office on the promise of prosecuting President Trump—engaged in an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority: the indictment of a former President of the United States and current leading candidate for that office," he added. Trump believes Adams was similarly targeted in New York.
According to Fox News, Trump homed in on Adams' stance on illegal immigration as an explanation for bringing the heat down on him. It seems Adams's troubles began when he begged for relief from the influx of newcomers who were gobbling up city resources.
Trump said he saw the writing on the wall for Adams after that. "I said, ‘He’s going to be indicted. And a few months later, he got indicted," Trump said.
It's still unclear if Adams is guilty of taking bribes or any other crime. However, Trump would be well within his rights to pardon Adams if push comes to shove because Biden has made some unprecedented moves, including granting a pardon for his son, Hunter Biden.
The younger Biden was recently found guilty of gun and tax evasion charges. He was awaiting sentencing when the president issued his fiat that would free his convicted son.
As Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders pointed out when asked about it on Meet the Press this week, this sets a new precedent for pardons. "I think two things: When you have his opponents going after his family, as a father, as a parent, I think we can all understand Biden trying to protect his son and his family," Sanders claimed.
"On the other hand, I think the precedent being set is kind of a dangerous one. It was a very wide open pardon which could, under different circumstances, lead to problems in terms of future presidents," Sanders pointed out.
With Trump going into his second and final term as president, he will be free to pardon whomever he chooses. Adams could benefit from having such a powerful advocate who would follow the most pardon-happy president of all time.
