The U.S. Justice Department has sharply stepped back its anti-corruption efforts under President Donald Trump, from loosening enforcement of laws meant to stop companies from bribing foreign officials to directing its prosecutors to drop a criminal case against New York Mayor Eric Adams.

The Justice Department on Monday told federal prosecutors in Manhattan to drop the corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams of New York.

The Justice Department's directive to drop the criminal prosecution of New York Mayor Eric Adams is one more example that relationships, allegiances and vendettas are in some cases determining who gets targeted − and who gets reprieved − in the age of Donald Trump.