February 15, 2025 • 7 mins
Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Now let's get to New York City, my home where
apparently Mayor Eric Adams has until five pm to day
to decide if he'll run as a Republican to seek
reelection to his seat at City Hall.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
That's according to the.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Head of the Republican Party in the Bronx, by the way,
who says Mayor Adams called him earlier this week to
explore the possibility. However, when asked about the speculation of
switching parties, here's what Adams said yesterday to NBC News
in New York. Quote, I'm going to be running as
a Democrat for the mayor of the City of New York.
For all those saying differently, you heard it directly from me.
(00:36):
I am going to be running in the Democratic primary.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
End quote. If Adams were.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Interested in switching parties, he would have again up until
five pm, five pm deadline tonight, a stipulation for all
New Yorkers to switch political party affiliation. I personally don't
like the political party affiliation switches.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Actually, I don't like that. That's real shady to me.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
You tell, you tell your constitution and see out there
that you're running for one party and then you switch.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I don't like stuff like that. That's just me.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
It's not the first time it's happened, and I get
that part, but I just don't like it. I've never
been one who likes stuff like that. That's just me,
So I want to throw that out there. That's number one.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Number two.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Listen, all of this right now is a pleasure to
have me or Adams on the show. He's always welcome
back on to express and explain his point of view
as something that I welcome. But in the same breath,
we have to be fair. You know, he's got some
legal issues. We all know that. We all know the
(01:38):
kind of trouble that the Southern District of New York
was bringing to him because they were coming after him,
and we know that, and so when we look at
it from that standpoint, all of a sudden, he's meeting
with Trump. He's meeting with Trump to discuss certain things,
and then.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
The Department of Justice.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Tells New York to drop the charges, forcing the resignation
of a Miss Daniel Sassoon, the acting US Attorney for
the Southern District of New York. She was the first
to refuse to the first to refuse to toss the
case against Adams, who was indicted last fall. By the way,
(02:21):
keeps something in mind. This woman who resigned from the
Southern District of New York after being ordered to drop
the case against Mayor Eric Adams.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
She was a Trump appointee. Let's not forget that. That's
very important. It's a Trump appointee and she resigned props
to her rule of law. This is the way that
it goes. We understand how politics work.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
We understand the powers that be and the influence they wield,
and sometimes they manipulate the proceedings to some degree. I'm
just looking at certain things right here. And when we
heard President Donald Trump on Thursday denied instructing the Department
of Justice to order the disp the criminal prosecution against
(03:02):
Mayor Adams. Trump's denial came as Manhattan's top federal prosecutor
and five senior Department of Justice officials in Washington, d
C resigned over in order by a top DOJ official
to toss out the case against Adams.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Trump said, quote, I didn't.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
When asked by a reporter if he requested the dismissal,
he said, I know nothing about it.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I did not.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Now who the hell believes that. I mean, I'm not
calling him a liar. I'm just saying I don't believe him.
Why because the people that he has in place of
people that are you know, will do his bidding, that
are perceived as being fiercely loyal to Donald Trump. So
how in God's name because something like this happened and
he know nothing about it? You really think Pam Bondy,
(03:44):
who's now thehead of the DOJ, didn't inform Trump of
what she was going to do. You really think that
she didn't get his input at all, especially since Mayor
Adams has been communicating with Donald Trump. Really and then
Mayor Adams is taking a lot of heat because he's
decided to be cooperative in terms of immigration I specifically
(04:12):
being allowed to look into Rikers Island Ryker's Island jail complex.
Within hours of so Soon resigned and Adams announced that
he was signing order allowing federal immigration officers into the
Rikers Island Jail complex in New York City.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
And he's taken a lot of heat. CEO of New
York Immigration.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Coalition, maraud Awa day awawd Eh rights, this is a
deal made with the devil to try to roll back
our cities long standing sanctuary laws and policies, policies that
allow all New Yorkers to live freely while improving everyone's
public safety.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
End quote.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
He continued, Actually, Eric Adams has no integrity. He just
made himself complicit with the Trump administration's detention to deportation
pipeline in exchange for a Department of Justice promise squashed
the five count federal corruption charges against him. So that's
what the situation seems to be with Eric Adams. Here's
(05:09):
what jumps to my mind any end. I've never thought
that this was a significant case against Eric Adams.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I think things get politicized.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
It wasn't an accident, as Eric Adams articulated right here
on this show. How when he went to the White
House for help with regards to immigration and regards to
immigrants coming into the city, the amount of money needed
to take care of them, etc. That's when the trouble
(05:41):
came his way. He believes it was being politicized itself. Okay, fine,
we don't know, we don't have any proof. We can
speculate till the cows come home. My thinking is, I
don't even know if he'll win reelection because I think
Andrew Cuomo has a good chance of winning. The other
(06:02):
thing I'm thinking is that Andrew Cuomo needs to run
for the governor's seat of New York. I don't want
to see Andrew Como in the New York City mayor
in the mayor's seat.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
He's the former governor. If you're gonna get back.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Into politics, not at all those allegations and accusations that
were thrown Andrew Cuomo's way that compelled him to step
away from office.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Now that all of that is behind us, behind him,
behind us.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
And he's getting ready to get back in the game,
I'd say, go back and be governor of the state.
Why be mayor of the city when you can be
governor of the whole damn state. That, to me is
where Andrew Cmo belongs. Eric Adams, who knows what the
hell happened, he's denied it. Sassoon and others for the
Southern District of New York claimed that in their mind
(06:53):
he was absolutely positively guilty. But they answered the folks,
and the folks that they answered to said, drop the
damn charges. So this man's gonna go on with his
life and continue to pursue his political future, and it's
pretty much not a damn thing they could do about it.
Trump denied that he has anything to do with it. Okay,
(07:14):
the man meets with you, he talks with you. He's
willing to capitulate some of your concerns about migrants in
New York City and assist in that regard and charges
a drop.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
But you had nothing to do with that.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Okay, Okay, you know that is the equivalent of spitting
in people's face and telling them it's raining.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Maybe trumps telling the truth. Nobody believes 'em.
Now let's get to New York City, my home where
apparently Mayor Eric Adams has until five pm to day
to decide if he'll run as a Republican to seek
reelection to his seat at City Hall.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
That's according to the.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Head of the Republican Party in the Bronx, by the way,
who says Mayor Adams called him earlier this week to
explore the possibility. However, when asked about the speculation of
switching parties, here's what Adams said yesterday to NBC News
in New York. Quote, I'm going to be running as
a Democrat for the mayor of the City of New York.
For all those saying differently, you heard it directly from me.
(00:36):
I am going to be running in the Democratic primary.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
End quote. If Adams were.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Interested in switching parties, he would have again up until
five pm, five pm deadline tonight, a stipulation for all
New Yorkers to switch political party affiliation. I personally don't
like the political party affiliation switches.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Actually, I don't like that. That's real shady to me.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
You tell, you tell your constitution and see out there
that you're running for one party and then you switch.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I don't like stuff like that. That's just me.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
It's not the first time it's happened, and I get
that part, but I just don't like it. I've never
been one who likes stuff like that. That's just me,
So I want to throw that out there. That's number one.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Number two.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Listen, all of this right now is a pleasure to
have me or Adams on the show. He's always welcome
back on to express and explain his point of view
as something that I welcome. But in the same breath,
we have to be fair. You know, he's got some
legal issues. We all know that. We all know the
(01:38):
kind of trouble that the Southern District of New York
was bringing to him because they were coming after him,
and we know that, and so when we look at
it from that standpoint, all of a sudden, he's meeting
with Trump. He's meeting with Trump to discuss certain things,
and then.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
The Department of Justice.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Tells New York to drop the charges, forcing the resignation
of a Miss Daniel Sassoon, the acting US Attorney for
the Southern District of New York. She was the first
to refuse to the first to refuse to toss the
case against Adams, who was indicted last fall. By the way,
(02:21):
keeps something in mind. This woman who resigned from the
Southern District of New York after being ordered to drop
the case against Mayor Eric Adams.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
She was a Trump appointee. Let's not forget that. That's
very important. It's a Trump appointee and she resigned props
to her rule of law. This is the way that
it goes. We understand how politics work.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
We understand the powers that be and the influence they wield,
and sometimes they manipulate the proceedings to some degree. I'm
just looking at certain things right here. And when we
heard President Donald Trump on Thursday denied instructing the Department
of Justice to order the disp the criminal prosecution against
(03:02):
Mayor Adams. Trump's denial came as Manhattan's top federal prosecutor
and five senior Department of Justice officials in Washington, d
C resigned over in order by a top DOJ official
to toss out the case against Adams.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Trump said, quote, I didn't.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
When asked by a reporter if he requested the dismissal,
he said, I know nothing about it.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I did not.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Now who the hell believes that. I mean, I'm not
calling him a liar. I'm just saying I don't believe him.
Why because the people that he has in place of
people that are you know, will do his bidding, that
are perceived as being fiercely loyal to Donald Trump. So
how in God's name because something like this happened and
he know nothing about it? You really think Pam Bondy,
(03:44):
who's now thehead of the DOJ, didn't inform Trump of
what she was going to do. You really think that
she didn't get his input at all, especially since Mayor
Adams has been communicating with Donald Trump. Really and then
Mayor Adams is taking a lot of heat because he's
decided to be cooperative in terms of immigration I specifically
(04:12):
being allowed to look into Rikers Island Ryker's Island jail complex.
Within hours of so Soon resigned and Adams announced that
he was signing order allowing federal immigration officers into the
Rikers Island Jail complex in New York City.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
And he's taken a lot of heat. CEO of New
York Immigration.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Coalition, maraud Awa day awawd Eh rights, this is a
deal made with the devil to try to roll back
our cities long standing sanctuary laws and policies, policies that
allow all New Yorkers to live freely while improving everyone's
public safety.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
End quote.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
He continued, Actually, Eric Adams has no integrity. He just
made himself complicit with the Trump administration's detention to deportation
pipeline in exchange for a Department of Justice promise squashed
the five count federal corruption charges against him. So that's
what the situation seems to be with Eric Adams. Here's
(05:09):
what jumps to my mind any end. I've never thought
that this was a significant case against Eric Adams.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I think things get politicized.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
It wasn't an accident, as Eric Adams articulated right here
on this show. How when he went to the White
House for help with regards to immigration and regards to
immigrants coming into the city, the amount of money needed
to take care of them, etc. That's when the trouble
(05:41):
came his way. He believes it was being politicized itself. Okay, fine,
we don't know, we don't have any proof. We can
speculate till the cows come home. My thinking is, I
don't even know if he'll win reelection because I think
Andrew Cuomo has a good chance of winning. The other
(06:02):
thing I'm thinking is that Andrew Cuomo needs to run
for the governor's seat of New York. I don't want
to see Andrew Como in the New York City mayor
in the mayor's seat.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
He's the former governor. If you're gonna get back.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Into politics, not at all those allegations and accusations that
were thrown Andrew Cuomo's way that compelled him to step
away from office.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Now that all of that is behind us, behind him,
behind us.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
And he's getting ready to get back in the game,
I'd say, go back and be governor of the state.
Why be mayor of the city when you can be
governor of the whole damn state. That, to me is
where Andrew Cmo belongs. Eric Adams, who knows what the
hell happened, he's denied it. Sassoon and others for the
Southern District of New York claimed that in their mind
(06:53):
he was absolutely positively guilty. But they answered the folks,
and the folks that they answered to said, drop the
damn charges. So this man's gonna go on with his
life and continue to pursue his political future, and it's
pretty much not a damn thing they could do about it.
Trump denied that he has anything to do with it. Okay,
(07:14):
the man meets with you, he talks with you. He's
willing to capitulate some of your concerns about migrants in
New York City and assist in that regard and charges
a drop.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
But you had nothing to do with that.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Okay, Okay, you know that is the equivalent of spitting
in people's face and telling them it's raining.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Maybe trumps telling the truth. Nobody believes 'em.
Host
Stephen A. Smith
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