The former acting U.S. attorney overseeing New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s corruption case stated the mayor’s attorneys pushed for a “quid pro quo” forward of the Justice Division (DOJ) ordering the case towards him be dropped.
Danielle Sassoon, who resigned from her put up on Thursday over her refusal to drop the fees towards the embattled Adams, stated in a letter to Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi obtained by The Hill that the argument from appearing Deputy Legal professional Normal Emil Bove “raises serious concerns” concerning the legitimacy of dismissing the case.
Sassoon stated the memo that Bove wrote directing the case be dropped makes clear that Adams is being granted leniency in change for aiding the federal authorities with its immigration priorities, citing a gathering on Jan. 31 that she, Bove, Adams’s lawyer and members of her workplace attended.
“Adams’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,” Sassoon stated within the letter Wednesday.
The memo from Bove didn’t deal with the energy of the case towards Adams however argued that it “improperly interfered” with Adams’s 2025 reelection marketing campaign and alluded to the Trump administration’s claims of the DOJ being weaponized towards political opponents.
The memo additionally claimed that the case “unduly restricted” Adams’s capacity to deal with unlawful immigration and violent crime that “escalated” below the Biden administration.
Sassoon stated in her letter that the federal government doesn’t have a legitimate foundation to dismiss the case, and she or he couldn’t advance its arguments for dismissal in good religion. She argued that the concept of dismissing the case in change for help with immigration enforcement “violates commonsense beliefs in the equal administration of justice.”
“In your words, ‘the Department of Justice will not tolerate abuses of the criminal justice process, coercive behavior, or other forms of misconduct,’” she instructed Bondi. “Dismissal of the indictment for no other reason than to influence Adams’s mayoral decision-making would be all three.”
She stated the federal government has no purpose to doubt its proof or the case total and dismissing it could solely additional increase considerations concerning the justice system being weaponized.
Sassoon stated she would resign from her put up if Bondi is unwilling to fulfill along with her or rethink the memo in mild of the problems with it.
“I remain baffled by the rushed and superficial process by which this decision was reached, in seeming collaboration with Adams’s counsel and without my direct input on the ultimate stated rationales for dismissal,” she stated.
Adams rejected the concept that a quid professional quo occurred throughout an interview that he and Trump border czar Tom Homan gave on “Fox & Friends” on Friday. He referred to as the accusation “silly” and stated his lawyer making this proposal would represent a criminal offense.
Adams has maintained his innocence since being indicted in September on 5 counts, together with bribery, wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution by a overseas nationwide. Prosecutors had alleged that Adams accepted and sought bribes relationship again to 2014 and persevering with by his time as mayor from rich businesspeople and a Turkish authorities official in change for favors.
A Democrat, Adams has more and more grown nearer to Trump and Homan over the previous few months. He has met with Homan a number of occasions and spoke with Trump shortly earlier than Inauguration Day, together with attending Trump’s inauguration.
He has additionally been hesitant to publicly criticize Trump not like most of his fellow Democrats, emphasizing the significance of getting a robust relationship with the president. He has stated his relationship with Trump is within the curiosity of his constituents within the metropolis.
However their ties raised questions as 2024 election winded down and Trump was set to take workplace that Adams was in search of a pardon for the case. Adams refused to say whether or not he would settle for a pardon, and Trump stated he would think about it.
The choice from the DOJ to drop the fees wasn’t a shock for many observers, however a decide nonetheless must log off for the fees to be formally dropped.
Sassoon wasn’t the one DOJ official to resign over the directive to drop the case, as a number of others additionally stepped down because of this. That features two prime prosecutors based mostly in Washington, D.C., a number of retailers have reported.
