Multiple high-ranking Justice Department officials resigned in protest on Thursday, refusing to comply with an order from the Trump administration to dismiss a bribery case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. This dramatic move highlights the ongoing tension between the White House and the DOJ, with President Trump claiming the agency is being used against his political adversaries.
Among those who resigned was Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, Trump's temporary appointee to oversee the prosecution of Mayor Adams. In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Sassoon expressed her bewilderment at the hasty and superficial decision-making process behind the dismissal order. She argued that Adams' willingness to cooperate with the administration's immigration crackdown should not excuse potentially corrupt behavior.
Adams, who maintains his innocence and claims to be a victim of political targeting by the Biden administration, pleaded not guilty to accepting bribes from Turkish officials. His attorney, Alex Spiro, dismissed the charges as baseless, suggesting a lack of credible evidence. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, a Trump appointee, accepted Sassoon's resignation but criticized her for questioning the administration's findings of weaponization within the justice system. Bove, formerly Trump's personal criminal defense lawyer, asserted that the DOJ would not tolerate such defiance.
Following Sassoon's refusal to drop the case, the administration reportedly tasked John Keller, acting head of the DOJ's public corruption unit, with the dismissal. Keller subsequently resigned, along with Kevin Driscoll, a senior official in the criminal division, and three other deputies in the public corruption unit: Rob Heberle, Jenn Clarke, and Marco Palmieri. A DOJ official confirmed Keller and Driscoll's resignations but did not comment on the others.
In a statement, Bove explained the decision to dismiss the case against Adams was driven by the need to prioritize national security and public safety, claiming the case was compromised from the outset. He emphasized the administration's expectation of alignment with its priorities and anticipates working with new leadership at the Southern District of New York.
