After its controversial move to drop charges of corruption against New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams, the Justice Department is experiencing a massive wave resignations. Hagan Scotten is the seventh federal prosecutor to quit in protest. This shows the deep concerns about ethics within the Justice Department.
What is at the Core of the Controversy?
A Democrat Mayor, Mayor Adams is accused of being targeted by the Trump Administration. The critics say this is political payback for Adams’ support of President Trump’s hardline approach to illegal immigration and border protection.
In 2024, Mayor Eric Adams faced charges of fraud and corruption stemming from allegations that he had accepted lavish gifts from Turkish businessmen and officials as well as illegal contributions to his campaign. This alleged transaction involved the opening of a Turkish consulate without proper inspection protocols in New York City. Adams has denied any wrongdoing but this case is deeply involved in politics.
The Key Players: Their actions
- Danielle Sassoon: Acting U.S.A. for Southern District of New York, Robert Adams, has resigned in protest of the DOJ leadership’s request to dismiss the case. Adams cited legal and ethical concerns.
- Emil Bove Bove was appointed Acting Deputy attorney General and instructed prosecutors not to pursue the case. Bove argued it interfered with Adams reelection bid, as well as his ability to help the Trump Administration on immigration. Bove’s decision, according to critics, was not made on the basis of evidence but on politics.
- John Keller & Kevin Driscoll: Bove asked the acting director and the leading prosecutor of the Public Integrity Section to resign after they were asked for their help in dismissing this case.
- Rob Heberle, Jenn Clarke, & Marco Palmieri: The resignation of three other deputy directors in the Public Integrity Section demonstrates the wide spread discontent within the Department.
- Hagan Scotten: Scotten, in his resignation, condemned DOJ’s actions. He stated that the government shouldn’t use dismissal of criminal charges as a way to influence the policy preferences of elected officials.
Quid Pro Quo?
Danielle Sassoon reported that the legal team of Mayor Adams repeatedly proposed a “quid-pro-quo” agreement: Adams would back President Trump’s immigration policies if the corruption charges were dropped. Alex Spiro has called these allegations “total lies” and denied them.
Despite Adams’ denials of the allegations, Emil Bove’s memo obtained by Associated Press explicitly states that Adams’ efforts to help the Trump Administration on immigration influenced the decision to dismiss the charges.
Understanding and reacting to the Interpretations
There has been a lot of debate about the resignations, and commentators offer varying viewpoints:
- Hagan Scotten: Scotten’s resignation letter addressed to Bove stressed the importance of prosecutorial autonomy and cautioned against using law to exert influence on elected officials. In his resignation letter to Bove, Scotten stressed the importance of prosecutorial independence and warned against using legal power to influence elected officials.
- Pam Bondi According to the new attorney general, DOJ will focus more on criminal prosecutions than “witch-hunts” motivated by politics.
- Ed Whelan Write in English National ReviewScotten’s resignation was described as “awesome” by him.
Next Steps
The Justice Department filed an official motion for dismissal of the cases brought against Eric Adams. A judge will now decide whether or not to grant the motion. This outcome could have major legal and political implications, possibly impacting the career of Mayor Adams and raising concerns about the impartiality and integrity of the Justice Department.