The decision made by Danielle Sassoon, the interim U.S. attorney for Southern District of New York, to resign after refusing the Justice Department’s order to drop the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, is admirable and a great testament to her character, but she is fighting corruption that is embedded deep into the American political system.
In September 2024, Adams pleaded not guilty to charges presented against him, which alleged that he accepted up to $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions. On Feb. 10, the DOJ dropped the case, claiming that it would prevent Adams from fully cooperating with President Donald Trump’s new immigration agenda.
The agenda includes rolling back sanctuary policies that previously limited cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Sassoon appealed the decision on Feb. 12 and wrote a letter addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi, stating that the order given by DOJ Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove III to drop the charges against Adams was “inconsistent with her ability and duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor and to advance good-faith arguments before the courts.”
She argued that there was reason to suspect a “quid pro quo” between Adams and the Trump administration based on notes from a January meeting between Adams’ attorneys and her office. Allegedly, Adams’ team repeatedly stated that Adams would be in a position to help with the enforcement policies only if the indictment was dismissed. Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, denied the existence of a quid pro quo.
Further on in her letter, Sassoon stated that she has “always considered it her obligation to pursue justice impartially, without favor to the wealthy or those who occupy important public office, or harsher treatment for the less powerful.”
Sassoon argues that Adams’ orchestrated this arrangement with Trump in order to help them both move forward. It is a very plausible assumption, considering the two gentlemen at hand. Adams has also been reported as slowly inching himself closer to Trump in order to have private conversations with him. Trump was quoted multiple times as being sympathetic toward Adams’ situation, stating, “I know what it’s like to be persecuted by the DOJ, for speaking out against open borders.”
While Sassoon’s letter is beautifully written, capturing her urgency and passion for justice, there is too much political corruption here for one person to take on alone. The situation has escalated from Adams being too sugary with foreigners to allying with Trump to save his political career.
It is worth noting that Bove stated in a memo that they could revisit the investigation on Adams in the future. There are suspicions that the department could use this as leverage that would force Adams into helping.
Regardless of Sassoon’s actions, the executive branch is clearly willing to abuse their power to get what they want. It just so happened to benefit Adams as well.
If this was the case, Sassoon would have been better off staying in her position and letting the actions run their course, but her integrity is a breath of fresh air.
