MAKING SENSE OF THE ERIC ADAMS FLAP. For a while last week, it looked like it might become a major scandal. It still could, but with a few days’ perspective, the Trump Justice Department‘s decision to drop the public corruption indictment against New York Mayor Eric Adams seems more mismanagement than wrongdoing.

On Sept. 26, 2024, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York unsealed the indictment of Adams on five counts of bribery and campaign finance offenses. The basic charge was that Adams did favors for the government of Turkey in return for campaign contributions, free or discounted airline tickets, free high-end hotel rooms, and fancy meals.