NEW YORK (AP) — With days to go until the presidential election, the top Democratic official in one of the most liberal cities in America might be expected to spend his time heaping criticism on the Republican candidate, Donald Trump. But that's not the approach being taken by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is facing a federal corruption indictment. At a news conference Tuesday, Adams deflected more than a dozen questions about Trump and his policies.
He declined to say whether he would oppose Trump’s plan to launch the largest mass deportation operation in American history, dismissing the removal plan as “hypothetical.” He also passed up an opportunity to criticize Trump over recent false statements the Republican had made about a group of wrongfully convicted New Yorkers known as the Central Park Five, deferring questions to their lawyers. And he declined to say when he had last spoken to Trump.
Instead, Adams directed ire toward his own party, arguing that it was insulting to ask whether Trump was a fascist and urging leaders to “turn down the rhetoric” ahead of the election. “With all that’s going on to everyday New Yorkers, we’re asking questions, ‘Is someone a fascist?’ or ‘Is someone a Hitler?’” Adams said. “That’s insulting to me.
” The comments marked the latest defenses of Trump by Adams, a centrist Democrat whose longstanding grievances with his own party have ramped up since he was indicted last month on federal corruption cha.