Three senior Justice Department officials, including Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, resigned Thursday after a directive was issued to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Why It Matters
The resignations stress concerns regarding potential political meddling in criminal investigations, with the Justice Department during President Donald Trump’s second term now being criticized for how it has handled politically sensitive cases.
Critics are worried that the decision could undermine the department’s independence and ability to take independent legal action.
What We Know About Danielle Sassoon?
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Danielle R. Sassoon resigned after she defied acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove’s order to dismiss the corruption charges against Adams.
According to her bio, Sassoon was the highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer who oversaw cases in Manhattan, the Bronx and its surrounding counties. She led a staff of about 450 legal experts and managed criminal investigations and civil lawsuits in the name of the U.S. government.
Sassoon graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and obtained her Juris Doctor at Yale Law School. Before her most recent role with SDNY, she served as a law clerk to the Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. She became an assistant U.S. attorney at the SDNY in 2016 and prosecuted high-profile cases, including those that involved racketeering, sex trafficking and the case against FTX founder Samuel Bankman-Fried on charges of fraud.
Prior to her role as U.S. attorney, Sassoon served as co-chief of criminal appeals and earned several awards for her outstanding performance, including the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Criminal Investigation in 2024 and the Women in Federal Law Enforcement Top Prosecutor Award in 2023.
When Did Sassoon Resign?
Sassoon’s resignation came shortly after she had been instructed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to withdraw the charges against Adams. Sassoon wrote a two-sentence letter of resignation, obtained by The Associated Press, in which she expressed pride in having served the U.S. and working as a prosecutor to pursue justice. The resignation occurred days after the controversial DOJ order from Bove.
Why Is New York City Mayor Eric Adams On Trial?
Adams is standing trial on corruption charges stemming from his campaign and his years as Brooklyn borough president. The charges, which were made in September 2024, accuse him of accepting illegal campaign donations, soliciting foreign contributions and using his office to receive personal favors, including luxury airline upgrades and special treatment for a foreign consulate. The case centers on accusations that Adams defrauded millions of dollars in public matching funds by soliciting illegal donations and improperly pressuring city agencies.
Despite the seriousness of the charges, the DOJ ordered federal prosecutors to drop the case. Bove justified the dismissal on the basis that the indictment interfered with Adams’ ability to involve himself in Trump’s immigration policies and the mayor’s focus on the priorities of the city. Bove’s decision avoided addressing the legal merits of the case and addressed the political advantages of dismissing the charges, raising questions about the prosecution’s fairness.
Adams has pleaded not guilty, denying any wrongdoing and calling the case political. Critics have said, however, that the mayor may have attempted to ingratiate himself with Trump for assistance in the case, potentially even a pardon.
Who Is Emil Bove?
Bove, as acting deputy attorney general of the U.S., is the second-ranking official at the DOJ behind newly confirmed Attorney General Pam Bondi. Before his current post, Bove held a number of roles within the DOJ. In his memo to Sassoon, Bove wrote that the decision was made at the behest of Bondi and was motivated by concerns regarding the case’s impact on Adams’ ability to govern, as well as potential political fallout. Bove’s memo also outlined an internal investigation into Sassoon and other officials who handled the case.
What People Are Saying
Harry Sandick, former SDNY federal prosecutor: “The U.S. Attorney must have concluded that she could not dismiss these charges while also carrying out her oath of office. She displayed courage and a respect for the traditions of the office by declining to follow an order that she apparently viewed as unjust.”
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle R. Sassoon, in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi: “I remain baffled by the rushed and superficial process by which this decision was reached.
“It is a breathtaking and dangerous precedent to reward Adams’s opportunistic and shifting commitments on immigration and other policy matters with dismissal of a criminal indictment.”
What Happens Next
With the resignations putting pressure on the DOJ, additional scrutiny is sure to be put on the Trump administration’s handling of politically sensitive cases. There will also be continued debate regarding how the department will handle accusations of political interference, especially with investigations ongoing into those around the president.
Read the full article here
