New York City Mayor Eric Adams pulled out of a candidates forum Wednesday featuring many of his opponents in the Democratic primary, saying his lawyer had advised him to stay away from such events until a judge decides whether to dismiss the public corruption indictment still pending against him.

Mayor Eric Adams is facing backlash after invoking a comparison to Jesus and calling Black leaders who have urged him to resign “negroes” who need forgiveness from God during a Black History event Tuesday at Gracie Mansion.

During a Black History Month reception, the mayor invoked Jesus’s words while on the cross, saying of his critics, “God, forgive them.”