New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) on Wednesday knocked the House GOP over plans to hold a hearing in the Big Apple on crime in the city.
The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is expected to meet in Manhattan next week for a hearing scrutinizing the policies of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who announced charges against former President Trump last week.
According to the committee’s schedule, the hearing will examine how Bragg’s “pro-crime, anti-victim policies have led to an increase in violent crime and a dangerous community for New York City residents.”
Adams mocked the hearing during a press conference focusing on his appointment of a new rat czar in the city.
“I was sure that they understood that, in their congressional districts, crime was going so high, they wanted to come and meet with me alone and find out what we’re doing so successfully,” Adams said of the GOP lawmakers.
“I’m a little disappointed that they’re coming here complaining about crime here when, per capita, their crime is through the roof,” he said.
“And they continue to talk about the open proliferation of guns. Their guns are coming from…the southern states to our cities, like New York and Chicago and others,” Adams added.
Bragg has come under fire from many on the right after the Manhattan prosecutor’s office charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty and continued to bash Bragg and the case, decrying it as politically motivated.
Adams said he “really misunderstood” the House Republicans’ hearing when he first heard about it and said he hasn’t been contacted to participate.
The mayor added “this is just an extension of Donald Trump campaign- campaigning, and it really makes no sense.” As the Manhattan case continues, Adams noted that the city is preparing for Trump to be back in town more often.
The House Judiciary GOP’s Twitter account on Wednesday called out a Washington Post fact-checker who cited data indicating that New York City is safer than Mansfield, Ohio, in Jordan’s own district.