Trump's week in review: From gutting the federal workforce to meeting with foreign leaders
4. DOJ orders dismissal of case against NYC Mayor Eric Adams, prompting prosecutor to resign
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi published Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, announced her intention to resign after she was ordered to dismiss an ongoing federal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat.
Sassoon contended that the dismissal of the case did not stem from a belief that Adams was innocent or that the case against him was flawed, but was instead part of an effort to secure his cooperation in enforcing federal immigration law.
As Sassoon explained, she was instructed to dismiss the case against Adams by Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove in a memo submitted Monday. She claimed that at a Jan. 31 meeting with Bove, Adams’ counsel and members of her office, the mayor’s attorneys “repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed.”
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“Mr. Bove admonished a member of my team who took notes during that meeting and directed the collection of those notes at the meeting’s conclusion,” she wrote. Sassoon did not reveal the contents of the memo Bove wrote to her but asserted that he cited a desire to receive Adams’ assistance in enforcing federal immigration law as well as a belief that the charges against Adams resulted from a weaponization of the government as reasons why she should dismiss the case.
Sassoon vehemently disagreed and maintained that dismissing the case would violate long-held norms and ethics regarding the administration of justice in the U.S. She offered to stay in her position if Bondi would consider reversing Bove’s memo.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
