Mayor Adams meets with President Trump to discuss New York City 'priorities'
The Adams-Trump meeting came as Federal prosecutors released documents related to the now-dropped corruption case against him.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams has insisted that cooperating with President Trump would eventually pay off.
His White House meeting on Friday was intended to leverage that cooperation for federal dollars for New York.
But the president later made a mockery of the meeting. When asked what the two men discussed -
"Almost nothing. He came in to say hello. He was very nice. I think he came in to thank me, frankly. I would say the primary reason. But he was very nice. He's a nice man. But I think he actually came in to thank me," President Trump said.
After meeting with Trump Border Tsar Tom Homan earlier this year, Mayor Adams agreed to limited cooperation on immigration enforcement and to re-open Rikers Island to ICE agents.
He's been reluctant to criticize the president or the administration's agenda publicly.
"I can't get into a yelling match just because it feels good. I have to produce for this city," he said in February.
Critics question his motives. A federal judge dismissed the case against Adams after the Trump administration opted to free the mayor from prosecution so he would be unnumbered while carrying out the president's immigration policies.
Last month, the Mayor toured the subway with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, seeking money for the city's infrastructure.
Adams is running for re-election and his political opponents are calling him a sellout.
"Eric Adams has made it clear that he cares more about staying on Donald Trump's good side than fighting for New York City," State Senator Zellnor Myrie said.
Comptroller Brad Lander was merciless.
"Eric Adams is running an experiment of how you would capitulate in the most humiliating ways imaginable, like no one would ever have thought you could capitulate in such a humiliating way as mayor of New York City. And it has not helped New York City, one iota," Lander said.
Oval Office meetings are rare, even for New York City mayors, and for Mayor Adams that may be what passes for progress. But he is leaving the White House with no promises and apparently very little to show for it.
While Adams was visiting Trump on Friday, Federal prosecutors released dozens of search warrant documents related to the now-dropped corruption case against him.
The applications to search the mayor's electronics, emails and other information were unsealed pursuant to a court order following a request from the news media.
While the voluminous pages do not appear to contain major details not previously publicized, they do show three different judges signed the warrant applications, believing prosecutors had reasonable cause to carry out the searches.
The documents reinforce prosecutors' suspicions about the mayor's campaign finances and his acceptance of travel upgrades.
The mayor has always denied wrongdoing.
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