Democrats in the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill flipped the script Wednesday, sharply questioning one of their own: New York City Mayor Eric Adams. 

During the hearing, they pressed him repeatedly on the Trump Justice Department’s controversial push to drop the federal corruption case against him. More than a half dozen veteran prosecutors resigned, some alleging an improper quid pro quo between the White House and the mayor over immigration enforcement. 

In one exchange, California Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia asked Adams, “Are you selling out New Yorkers to save yourself from prosecution?”

“There’s no deal, no quid pro quo, and I did nothing wrong,” Adams replied.

At another moment, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia asked the mayor if he had ever spoken about his corruption case with anyone in the Trump administration. 

Adams ducked the question, saying, “This case is in front of Judge Ho, and out of deference to Judge Ho, Judge Ho is going to decide the outcome of this case.”

Subramanyam fired back, saying, “I think Mayor Adams is not answering the question because he probably has.”

In yet another exchange, Bronx Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked Adams if he intended on pleading the fifth in response to her questions. When Adams insisted he was answering the questions “directly,” Ocasio-Cortez replied, “You are not.”

Republicans called the hearing to spotlight their claims that so-called “sanctuary cities” run by Democrats protect dangerous migrants from immigration enforcement. 

Sanctuary cities limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, so undocumented immigrants do not feel hesitant about reporting crimes to police or seeking health care. 

Adams testified along with the Democratic mayors of Boston, Chicago and Denver. 

In his prepared opening remarks, Adams told lawmakers, “To be clear: A ‘sanctuary city’ classification does not mean our city will ever be a safe haven for violent criminals. It also does not give New York City the authority to violate federal immigration laws.”

Adams, who once dubbed himself the "Biden of Brooklyn," has met in recent months with the president’s "border czar" Tom Homan, and has invited ICE agents to work out of Rikers Island.

Republicans on the committee largely spared Adams of their harshest criticism, saving their fire for the other mayors. 

The committee’s Republican Chairman, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, went so far as to offer Adams praise, saying, “Of the witnesses today of the major cities, you have publicly stated that you were willing to work with ICE on detaining the most criminal illegals … I want to publicly thank you for that.”

This is not the first time Republicans on Capitol Hill have held up Adams and his approach to immigration to make a point. 

During the Biden years, they repeatedly invoked his comments that the surge of asylum seekers into New York would “destroy” the city as part of their efforts to undercut Biden’s border policies.