New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted Thursday he's not accused of anything in the new round of indictments against his former top adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin. 

In the court of public opinion, however, he will apparently not escape unscathed. His opponents are certainly trying to make political hay out of it, but that may not be the worst of it. There's much in the new case to remind voters of the corruption charges against Adams that were ordered dropped by the Trump administration. It's certainly not the onslaught Adams needs right now. 

Mayoral race opponents sound off on indictments

It's no surprise that the people who want to replace Adams smell blood and are on the attack. 

"New Yorkers have paid the price as another flurry of indictments continued to destroy their trust in democracy," Democrat candidate for mayor Zohran Mamdani said. "Our city deserves to have a mayor who spends time with their constituents, not stuck in courtrooms." 

"There seems to be this never ending series of government corruption," independent candidate for mayor former Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "It's sad. It's embarrassing. It's depressing. And then you wondering why people don't believe in government." 

"What it says about Eric Adams is that he surrounds himself with cronies who are corrupt," Republican candidate for mayor Curtis Sliwa said. "People said why are you bringing them back. Oh they're friends. Yeah friends who like to put their beak in the trough. They're hopelessly corrupt." 

Echoes of past Adams indictment 

For many, the indictment of Lewis-Martin reminds them of the mayor's past legal problems, and is like deja vu all over again. One of the charges against her is that she allegedly helped fast track getting the Department of Buildings and the Fire Department to approve permits for the opening of a Queens karaoke bar owned by a developer who reportedly wired money to her son. 

Before the Trump administration interceded, Adams was charged with pressuring the Fire Department to allow the Turkish embassy to open despite safety concerns in exchange for luxury travel. 

"In the court of public opinion, this is disastrous"

Political experts say the timing of the new indictments against Lewis-Martin couldn't be worse for Adams, who is trying to get re-elected. 

"In the court of public opinion, this is disastrous. And quite frankly, it's almost as if the mayor is trying to go into a new career after this, writing the next trilogy for 'The Godfather - four, five, and six," political expert JC Polanco said. 

"You have a constant drumbeat, and this is not something that a campaign can sustain at all. And the mayor, don't forget, is way down in the polls to begin with, and going down," political consultant O'Brien Murray said. 

Adams insists he has done nothing wrong. 

"I have not been accused of any wrongdoing, and my focus remains on serving the 8.5 million New Yorkers by making our city safer and more affordable every day. While Ingrid Lewis-Martin no longer works for this administration, she has been a friend and colleague for over 40 years, and I know her as a devoted public servant; she has declared her innocence, and my prayers are with her and her family. I also recognize that Jesse Hamilton has pleaded not guilty, and like anyone accused, he is entitled to the presumption of innocence. My commitment to New Yorkers is unwavering—no distraction will ever take my eyes off the ball dedicated to this great city we all call home," Adams said in a statement.    

To show he's still on the job, the Adams administration sent a letter Thursday to an immigration judge supporting a bail hearing for a 20-year-old high school student who was detained by ICE agents while attending a routine court hearing.