Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams took to social media Sunday to blast the Biden administration for what he called political inconsistency in its handling of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who is now in New York to face U.S. drug-trafficking charges.
In a Facebook post, Adams wrote, “public safety is not a political game” and called it “cynical and irresponsible” to “label someone a narco-dictator one year and then pretend he is no longer a threat the next simply because a different president is in office.”
The Biden administration offered a reward of up to $25 million last January for information leading to Maduro’s arrest on U.S. narcotics charges, portraying him as a major threat tied to cocaine flows toward the United States.
That reward was raised to $50 million by current U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and the State and Justice Departments, this past August.
Referencing a tragic incident closer to home, Adams said, “Imagine being the parents of 2-year-old Nicholas Feliz Dominici, who died from fentanyl poisoning in a Bronx daycare, watching this political theater.”
Adams argued that “Maduro’s drugs have killed thousands of Americans” and added that “America is safer today because Maduro is no longer in power,” welcoming the Venezuelan leader to the city where he will now face federal prosecution.
Throughout his tenure, Adams maintained a working relationship with the Trump administration, focusing on areas including immigration enforcement for alleged criminal migrants and infrastructure, while facing criticism from fellow Democrats for aligning himself with Trump.
Adams would go on to switch his party affiliation to independent while running for reelection in the NYC mayoral race, before ending his bid in late September.