So what is really up with that Mayor Adams situation?

Where the charges valid or where they retribution for Adams not towing the line?

The answer is probably both. There seems to be little doubt that there was some funny business taking place with Adams and members of the Turkish Government as well as some powerful Turkish businessmen. He was accused of taking some kickbacks such as cheap travel and possibly falsified some business records to cover it up. He is also accused of taking foreign donations from Turkish business men that was funneled through legitimate sources. Most all of this took place when he was still a borough president (prior to being Mayor) and apparently started as far back as 2014.

Given that when these events took place, the timing of the investigation and ultimate indictment (just weeks before the 2024 election) seem sketchy. It would seem like either the SDNY knew about this and failed to do anything for several years or they decided to start a heavy investigation around the same time Adams became somewhat uncooperative with the national party. While some will argue that the investigation started prior to Adams attacking the Biden administration over immigration policies, there had been other issues with Adams (such as his strong religious ties and other criticisms) that caused consternation within the Democratic powers.

It makes you wonder is this was one of those deals where they start a quiet investigation into someone suspect, just in case that person becomes a bigger problem. I know this sounds a lot like I am claiming that the SDNY justice office is a partisan wing of the Democratic party disguised as a non-partisan law enforcement office, and that is probably because I am. Historically it seems like the SDNY is involved in many investigations dealing with a ton of politicians and people closely aligned to politicians and then sits on those investigations. Paul Manafort is a classic example of someone who was investigated multiple times without being charged at the time by the SDNY (only to be charged later as part of the Mueller probe into Trump). It's like they have these things in their back pocket just in case they need it for political purposes down the road.

Keep in mind that Adams has not been found guilty of anything at this point. There was no trial and no guilty verdict. There was an indictment and the promises of a trial. We will probably never know all of the facts and at this time we only know one side of the story (and that is what is in the indictment). Who knows what sort of defense Adams could muster. Maybe a strong one or maybe not much of one at all. All we know is that there were several people seemingly overly passionate about this particular case. Apparently the dropping of the charges has led to several resignations within the SDNY because of this passion for this particular case. Perhaps that might be the best thing to have come out of all of this.