Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg (Austria) in 1849 formed an alliance with Russia to help Austria put down an insurrection in Hungary. This gave Austria more latitude to deal with Prussia, in which conflict Austria was successful. Then, Prince Felix, in an apocryphal account, was reported to have said of Russia that Austria would "shock the world by the depth of its ingratitude."

New York Mayor Eric Adams seems to be channeling his inner Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg. After the Trump administration's Justice Department dropped the Biden administration's bogus corruption charges against Hizzoner, Mayor Adams is now turning around and suing the Trump administration over the yanking of $80 million in federal funds intended to provide hotel rooms for illegal aliens.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams filed a lawsuit Friday against President Donald Trump and others in his administration over $80 million the White House removed from a city bank account without permission, after Elon Musk threatened the withdrawal on X.

The clawback earlier this month flummoxed local officials and instilled fear the Trump administration could wreak havoc on the municipal purse of a Democratic city with a $115 billion budget.

Friday’s suit marks a rare instance of public opposition to the Republican White House from a Democratic mayor who has gone to great lengths to avoid criticizing the president as he sought Trump’s assistance in his federal corruption case, which Trump’s Justice Department has moved to dismiss.

Mayor Adams remains a Democrat, despite claiming some common cause with the Trump administration on illegal immigration, but he is also feeling a lot of heat from his party, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

That dynamic that has led to calls for Adams to be removed, prompted the resignation of top aides and spurred Gov. Kathy Hochul to propose legislative guardrails around his leadership this week.

The New York governor has even floated the possibility of removing Mayor Adams from office.

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While this case will have to play out in court, the mayor's actions here may well present a political liability even larger than the lawfare brought against him by the Biden administration.

The housing of seemingly endless numbers of illegal aliens is unpopular; the hotels are known to be operating centers for, among other criminal organizations, the notorious Venezuelan Tren de Aragua prison gang. One of the hotels, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, even housed for a time the killer of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.

Luxury hotels in New York City including the Roosevelt, recipients of $59 million from FEMA to house immigrants, were base of operations for Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and served as a residence of the convicted killer of Laken Riley.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared the startling revelation early Wednesday afternoon, just more than 48 hours after the Department of Government Efficiency team led by Elon Musk revealed the payments. She specifically said the Roosevelt Hotel was utilized by the notorious gang with members among the highest priority in thousands of arrests and detainers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since inauguration of President Donald Trump.

Mayor Adams is walking a very precarious tightrope here. His political future depends on his balance at the moment; his filing of this suit seems an obvious effort to maintain that balance. 

In the end, the voters, of course, will judge his sense of balance.