22win Gov. Hochul Can Remove Eric Adams From Office. Will She?

As federal prosecutors unveiled the corruption charges against the New York City mayor, Eric Adams, on Thursday, one potentially key figure was about as far removed from the action as she could be.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s only public event on Thursday was at a high school in the Syracuse area, where she joined teachers and students for a lengthy panel on work force development, even as reporters swarmed, eager for her statement on the charges.

It was a clear example of how Ms. Hochul — an accidental governor first elevated after the resignation of her predecessor amid another scandal — is treading carefully and deliberately as she reckons with the fraught options for how to deal with Mr. Adams, a political ally.

Ms. Hochul has worked closely with Mr. Adams, whose law-and-order approach and business-friendly policies complement her own.

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But as investigations and raids of Adams officials accumulated this month, the governor began to moderate her praise of the mayor. That trend continued on Thursday, after prosecutors indicted Mr. Adams on five criminal counts including bribery conspiracy and wire fraud. He has insisted that he is innocent and has said he intends to remain in office while he fights the charges.

Here Are the Charges Eric Adams Faces, Annotated

The Times annotated the indictment.

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