Federal judge rules against Adams’ request for formal inquiry into alleged news media leak

November 1, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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TRIBECA — A FEDERAL JUDGE IN MANHATTAN HAS DENIED MAYOR ERIC ADAMS’ REQUEST for a formal inquiry into claims that federal law enforcement authorities leaked confidential information to the press about his prosecution, the Daily News reports.

U.S. District Judge Dale Ho, in a 21-page ruling, said late Thursday that Adams’ lawyers’ arguments weren’t strong enough to convince him that solely prosecutors or FBI officials could have been the sources of an alleged leak to news media. Ho’s reasoning was that the many news reports could have been sourced from individuals not connected with either the FBI or the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District (Manhattan), which is prosecuting Adams’ case.

Ho’s ruling is the response to an October filing from Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro arguing that only the U.S. attorney’s office or its agents could be the source of what he identified as classified grand jury documents, particularly any news reports that predicted the timing of the indictment against Adams on Sept. 26. The reports he cited as evidence included those predicting the timing of the Sept. 26 unsealing of Adams’ indictment.

Other news outlets, including the Brooklyn Eagle, carried the indictment story referencing Spectrum News and other sources.

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