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Earlier at CPAC, Attorney General Pam Bondi weighed in on the Eric Adams case, saying it was an “incredibly weak case filed to make deportation harder”.

Last week a top official at the justice department instructed prosecutors to drop the case against Adams, saying it had “restricted” the New York mayor’s ability to address “illegal immigration and violent crime” – two of President Trump’s key priorities.

That led a number of high-level officials to resign, viewing the order as politically-motivated interference in the independent judicial system.

Speaking during a session in the late afternoon, though, Bondi said the case had taken “one of the strongest mayors off the playing field to protect sanctuary cities”.

She added that she doesn’t believe the case would have even made it to a verdict.

Last year, federal prosecutors charged the mayor of the largest US city with conspiracy, fraud, soliciting illegal campaign contributions, and bribery.

According to the 57-page indictment, Adams is alleged to have accepted more than $100,000 in luxury travel – including hotel stays, lavish meals and airline upgrades – from Turkish nationals beginning in 2016, when he still served as president of the New York borough of Brooklyn.

The case has created a political scandal that has led to the resignations of other top city officials.

Adams denies any wrongdoing and has said the case was political punishment for his criticism of then-President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.

The comments from Bondi, the country’s top law enforcement officer, are strong allegations against Biden. She did not provide direct evidence that the case was filed to stop deportations.

As we wrote about earlier, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is putting “guardrails” on the Adams administration, saying the Trump administration is using the case “as leverage to squeeze and punish our city.”

You can find more information about the Eric Adams case here.