The Department of Justice is dropping Biden-era bribery charges against an Indian billionaire after he hired one of President Donald Trump's personal lawyers.
Gautam Adani was indicted weeks before the end of Joe Biden's presidency for his alleged role in what prosecutors described as an “elaborate” bribery scheme involving “corruption and fraud at the expense of U.S. investors."
But the New York Times reported that the case may be dismissed after he hired attorney Robert J. Giuffra Jr. and made an offer to the government.
"Mr. Giuffra’s efforts on Mr. Adani’s behalf culminated in a previously unreported meeting last month at the Justice Department’s headquarters in Washington, according to people familiar with the meeting," the Times reported. "Mr. Giuffra ticked through about 100 slides outlining why prosecutors lacked basic evidence, as well as the jurisdiction even to bring the case, one of the people said."
"Another slide also offered the government a sweetener: If prosecutors dropped the charges, Mr. Adani would be willing to invest $10 billion in the American economy and create 15,000 jobs, echoing a pledge he made in the wake of Mr. Trump’s election," the report added.
Prosecutors later told Adani, who is purportedly India's richest man, that his $10 billion investment would have no bearing on the case, but sources familiar with the meeting said it received a positive response from at least one senior Justice Department official who was present.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn had accused Adani and other company officials of coordinating a massive corruption network tied to India’s largest solar power project.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is currently moving to settle a parallel civil fraud case against Adani and others that could involve a monetary penalty.
Critics took exception to the Times' reporting on Trump's DOJ looking to drop the case against the billionaire.
"'UNUSUAL OFFER'?? No, headline writers," thundered The Nation's Elie Mystal. "'Charges Dropped Against Indian Billionaire Accused of Bribery, After Offering Trump A Bribe.'"
"It is perfectly acceptable to bribe any U.S. government agency," sighed filmmaker Barton John Bishoff. "That's the system we've all chosen."
"The mainstream media fail us when they write small stories on individual bad acts instead of hitting the total button on Trump's deep corruption, with headlines like: HOW TRUMP PUTS JUSTICE UP FOR SALE or BILLIONAIRES BUY OFF TRUMP," opined veteran newsman Mark Jacob. "Instead, the media treat each grift as a one-off, soon forgotten."