Crime
Top US Attorneys Resign Following Justice Department's Directive in NYC Corruption Case
Top US attorney in Manhattan and others resign after Justice Department orders dropping corruption case against NYC Mayor Eric Adams. Disagreement over dismissal sets "breathtaking and dangerous precedent."
4 min read
Originally published by nationnews.com (opens in new tab)
Several prosecutors – including the top US attorney in Manhattan – have resigned after the Justice Department directed the New York office to drop a corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
It was first announced on Thursday that Danielle Sassoon, a conservative lawyer recently promoted by President Donald Trump, had resigned after refusing to dismiss the case, a move she said would set a “breathtaking and dangerous precedent”.
Her departure was followed by the resignations of at least five other top justice department officials.
It marked the latest signs of disquiet over sweeping changes the Trump administration is making in federal law enforcement.
In an indictment last September, Adams is alleged to have accepted gifts totalling more than $100,000 (£75,000) from Turkish citizens in exchange for favours. He denies the charges.
The case was initially brought by officials appointed by former President Joe Biden.
But on Monday, a Trump appointee, acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove, ordered Sassoon and New York prosecutors to drop the case, saying it “restricted” the mayor’s ability to address “illegal immigration and violent crime” – a key goal of Trump’s administration.
Bove did not address the merits of the case and noted that the justice department would reserve the right to reinstitute the charges after New York City’s mayoral election in November.
Sassoon refused to drop the case, however, setting out her reasoning in a letter to Bove’s boss, Attorney General Pam Bondi, on Thursday and saying she saw no “good faith” reason for dropping the case.
“Because the law does not support a dismissal, and because I am confident that Adams has committed the crimes with which he is charged, I cannot agree to seek a dismissal driven by improper considerations,” she wrote.
Sassoon said her office held a meeting with Bove and lawyers for Adams on 31 January in which the mayor’s representatives offered “what amounted to a quid pro quo”, saying Adams would be able to help with administration policies “only if the indictment were dismissed”.
Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Adams, denied that there was any deal tying immigration enforcement with the dropping of the case.
He said in a statement: “The idea that there was a quid pro quo [with the Trump administration] is a total lie. We offered nothing and the department asked nothing of us.”
