Justice Department lawyers on Wednesday defended their decision to end a criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, facing tough questions from a judge about their rationale for the controversial move.

Judge Dale Ho did not immediately rule on the motion to dismiss the charges, saying: “I’m not going to shoot from the hip right here on the bench.”

Last week, Emil Bove, a top official at the department and one of President Donald Trump’s former personal attorneys, instructed federal prosecutors in Manhattan to drop the corruption case.