Top DOJ Officials Resign Rather Than Dismiss Adams Bribery Case

The interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York resigned Thursday after the Justice Department ordered the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams to be dropped.

Danielle R. Sassoon, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, resigned after an order from newly installed Justice Department officials to abandon the case, according to a report by NBC News.

Three days earlier, Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered federal prosecutors to drop the case against Adams, partly because of how it interfered with Mayor Eric Adams’ stated focus on “illegal immigration and violent crime” in collaboration with the Trump administration.

Sassoon and other prosecutors initially refused to drop the case out of principle, pushing Bove to blast Sassoon and other non-compliant federal prosecutors for their “insubordination.” Sassoon and two other federal prosecutors involved resigned shortly after.

“The Justice Department will not tolerate the insubordination and apparent misconduct reflected in the approach that you and your office have taken in this matter.” Bove said. “Your office’s insubordination is little more than a preference to avoid a duty that you regard as unpleasant and politically inconvenient.”

Adams, a former New York police captain, was indicted last September on charges of allegedly accepting $100,000 worth of bribes, including overseas travel paid for by wealthy Turkish nationals. The mayor, who has pleaded not guilty, has described the charges as politically motivated.

Sassoon’s exit follows her tenure as a prosecutor known for taking on significant financial fraud defendants, most prominently the entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried. While she has not publicly spoken about her decision to resign, the AP obtained an email she sent to her colleagues that confirms the Adams case as the cause of her resignation.

It remains unclear who will helm the Southern District going forward. The office is often referred to as the “Sovereign District of New York” for its reputation of operating with considerable independence when investigating public officials and other high-level targets. Traditionally, its prosecutors are known for pushing back against interference, though resignations at this scale are considered highly unusual.

Although the Justice Department’s new leadership cited concerns about policy goals possibly being hampered by prolonged litigation, there has been no indication of how or if the government will proceed with the charge.