Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor resigned because he refused President Donald Trump’s directive to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Republican Danielle Sassoon criticized the rushed and superficial process to dismiss the case in a scathing eight-page resignation letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday.
Sassoon, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, disclosed that prosecutors were ready to pursue a new indictment against Adams, including additional charges of evidence tampering, instructing others to tamper with evidence, and providing false information to the FBI.
Before resigning, she warned bosses she was confident that Mayor Adams ‘has committed the crimes with which he is charged.’
She said she would refuse the Justice Department’s order to drop the corruption case against him, which stems from allegations Adams accepted illegal campaign contributions and bribes of free or cheap travel.
Two senior Justice Department officials also quit after department leadership in Washington moved to drop the case.
Trump administration officials ordered prosecutors in New York to end the case against Adams so he could could aid the President’s immigration crackdown and campaign for reelection without the burden of pending charges.
The primary is four months away and Adams has multiple challengers.
Republican Danielle Sassoon sent an email to all staff announcing her resignation as interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York on Thursday
She said she would refuse the Justice Department’s order to drop the corruption case against him, which stems from allegations Adams (pictured) accepted illegal campaign contributions and bribes of free or discounted travel from people who wanted to buy his influence
In response, the acting deputy U.S. attorney general, Emil Bove, scolded Sassoon for defying his order to dismiss the case against the Democrat mayor.
Bove said Sassoon was ‘incapable of fairly and impartially reviewing the circumstances of this prosecution.’
He said the case would be transferred to the Justice Department, which would file a motion to drop the charges and bar ‘further targeting’ of Adams.
In Sassoon’s email to staff informing them of her resignation, she did not provide a reason for her decision.
She said she’d informed Bondi, adding: ‘As I told her, it has been my greatest honor to represent the United States and to pursue justice as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York.’
In her letter to Bondi, Sassoon wrote: ‘When I took my oath of office three weeks ago, I vowed to well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office… not to use the criminal enforcement authority of the United States to achieve political objectives.
‘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 seek a dismissal driven by improper considerations.
‘I understand my duty as a prosecutor to mean enforcing the law impartially, and that includes prosecuting a validly returned indictment regardless whether its dismissal would be politically advantageous, to the defendent or to those who appointed me.’
Sassoon was not the prosecutor responsible for bringing charges against Adams, but she took over the reins after Trump returned to the White House after Damian Williams’ resignation
The Justice Department did not ask Sassoon to resign, according to a department official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Sassoon was not the prosecutor responsible for bringing charges against Adams, but she took over the reins after Trump returned to the White House after Damian Williams’ resignation.
Williams resigned after Trump’s election victory in November, and Sassoon was tapped to serve as acting U.S. attorney on January 21, the day after Trump returned to office.
Her role was always intended to be temporary.
Prosecutors were reportedly alarmed by the Trump administration’s missive to dismiss charges based on political considerations, rather than the strength or weakness of the case itself.
Bove had directed that be done as soon as ‘practicable,’ but there has been no public statements or actions by the prosecution team.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she would ‘look into’ why the case had yet to be dismissed. As of Thursday afternoon, the charges remained in place.
Adams was indicted in September on charges that while he worked as Brooklyn borough president, he accepted over $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions and lavish travel perks such as expensive flight upgrades, luxury hotel stays and even a trip to a bathhouse.
The New York City Mayor stopped into the Harlem Zen wellness spa on Monday, where owner Angela McTair (seen together) praised his efforts to fund small businesses
The indictment said a Turkish official who helped facilitate the trips then leaned on Adams for favors, including asking him to lobby the Fire Department to let a newly constructed, 36-story diplomatic building open in time for a planned visit by Turkey’s president.
Prosecutors said they had proof that Adams personally directed political aides to solicit foreign donations and disguise them to help the campaign qualify for a city program that provides a generous, publicly-funded match for small dollar donations.
Under federal law, foreign nationals are banned from contributing to U.S. election campaigns.
Adams celebrated his victory with a visit to the Harlem Zen wellness spa in Manhattan on Monday hours after learning his legal peril may be over.
He visited the spa to tout an $85million public investment initiative his administration has been pushing, which gave a $60,000 loan to the business.
Owner Angela McTair thanked Adams for the slush fund as she strapped him in for a hair removal procedure.
‘With help like what you gave us, we were able to upgrade to this machine that you’ll be experiencing today,’ McTair told Adams.
