Adams canceled his Martin Luther King Day engagements to travel to Washington, D.C., sparking further speculation that the mayor is making a deeper appeal to Trump to pardon him in his corruption case.

The mayor rejected such claims in an interview with the Washington Examiner.

“It really insults me when people ask me that question over and over again, as I’ve defended this city as a police officer and I have a great lawyer. … I said this once and I’ll say it again: I did nothing wrong,” he said.

Adams said he went to the inauguration to represent how serious he is about helping New York City with the federal government’s assistance.

“President Trump loves New York City, and I’m going to do everything possible to ensure that we will collaborate on everything from securing our border to how we make our city continue to be a safe city,” the Democratic mayor said. “And so coming here is not only substantive, it is symbolism. Also, I’ve wanted [a] clear message for all the mayors of the big cities, [you] need to be working with this administration.”

The mayor also took a shot at former President Joe Biden’s last-minute pardons of former and current government officials such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and retired Gen. Mark Milley. “So, the question that should be really raised is, why did he feel the need to pardon individuals? If he had a lot of faith in the criminal justice system, then he should not have had to have done it.”

Adams wasn’t originally scheduled to go to the inauguration. “In the early hours of Monday morning, the Trump administration reached out inviting Mayor Adams to attend the inauguration at the incoming administration’s request. Mayor Adams accepted on behalf of New York City,” Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy said.

“As the mayor has repeatedly said, America has chosen a new national leader and we must work together to build a safer, stronger, and more affordable in New York City,” he added.

New York City’s mayor has caught flack for skipping the MLK Day festivities for Trump’s inauguration.

“​​To say you’re not going to raise your eyebrows would be being dishonest,” the Rev. Al Sharpton, an Adams ally, said on MSNBC on Monday. “I think this is going to cause a lot of us to say, ‘What is this all about?’”

2025 mayoral challenger and city Comptroller Brad Lander didn’t dodge the opportunity to knock Adams either. “Imagine if Mayor Adams applied the same focus to making our city safer and bringing down our cost of living as he does to getting himself a pardon,” Lander said on X.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) didn’t openly criticize Adams when asked about his decision, but she didn’t offer any hint of praise either.

“Every elected official can make their own decision,” she said. “I’m glad I’m here today in Harlem.” Several MLK Day events were in Harlem on Monday.

Speculation surrounding Adams and his possible pursuit of a pardon could finally develop into action now that Trump is in office. A pardon would absolve Adams of his crimes, though might not change many voters’ minds in the 2025 mayoral election.

Trump has sympathized with Adams over his criminal case, previously comparing the indictment to his own New York hush money case. Adams believed, like Trump, that the Justice Department had it out for him.

Adams is one of the least popular mayoral choices given his handling of the city’s migrant crisis and his corruption indictment. A recent poll ranked former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo among the top mayoral contenders with Adams not ranking in the top three challengers.