Last fall, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges. Prosecutors had receipts—alleging he smoothed the way for fire permits in exchange for campaign cash and luxury travel perks from Turkish interests. Pretty standard corruption play, right? Well, about that…
Last night, the charges vanished. Poof. Gone.
Not because Adams was found innocent, not because new evidence surfaced clearing his name. No, the case was dropped with a little fine print: in exchange, he’s expected to align with the administration’s aggressive immigration policies. A legal deal with political strings attached? Nothing suspicious about that.
And here’s the kicker—this isn’t an isolated case. The justice system is quietly rearranging the furniture, and by the looks of it, corruption charges are being shoved under the rug.
The Great Corruption Clearance Sale
Adams isn’t the only one catching a lucky break. In the past few weeks, the government has been methodically dismantling the very mechanisms designed to hold powerful people accountable.
- The Department of Justice just shut down its corporate enforcement unit, the people who go after companies stealing trade secrets or violating sanctions against, say, Russia.
- A task force investigating foreign political influence? Gone. Which is a real bummer considering last year, prosecutors caught a Kremlin-backed network funneling millions into U.S. political circles.
- Remember that obscure law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), designed to stop foreign governments from secretly steering U.S. policy? It’s been all but neutered. So if a politician decides to moonlight as a lobbyist for, say, Qatar, it’s suddenly much easier to keep that side gig quiet.
Justice, But Make It Optional
And it doesn’t stop there. The administration also put a pause on enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which had been a handy little rule preventing American businesses from bribing foreign officials. The reasoning? It’s “good for business.” Great news for the morally flexible, bad news for anyone who thinks leadership should have, you know, ethics.
And if you’re already nostalgic for the days when public officials at least pretended to be worried about corruption, brace yourself—pardons are flowing freely. One of the biggest recipients? Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who did time for literally trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat. No worries, he’s good now.
So, Uh, Who’s Watching the Watchdogs?
With the legal safety nets vanishing one by one, the real question is: Where do the checks and balances still exist? If bribery and foreign influence no longer come with real consequences, what’s stopping public officials from treating their offices like personal ATMs?
Justice, it seems, is becoming a choose-your-own-adventure game—one where powerful people can rewrite the rules in real time. The only question now is: Will anyone bother to stop them?
