Brunswick Beacon, 02.20.25
Seven United States Justice Department prosecutors resigned rather than dismiss bribery charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. Danielle Sassoon, who clerked for conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, was appointed United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York by Trump. She resigned after Trump’s acting deputy Attorney General Emile Bove ordered her to drop the charges as part of a deal to help Trump politically.
Sassoon called it “a quid pro quo,” with Adams supporting Trump’s immigration policies “if the indictment were dismissed.” Charges would be reinstated if Adams didn’t come through as agreed.
Sassoon called it “an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal” of Adams’ case, and an “abuse of the criminal justice process…driven by improper considerations" creating “obvious ethical problems." The deal, she concluded, amounted to “weaponization of the Department."
Six other prosecutors also resigned, including lead Adams investigation prosecutor Hagan Scotten, who clerked for conservative Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh. Scotten wrote, “No system of ordered liberty can allow the government to use the carrot of dismissing charges, or the stick of threatening to bring them again, to induce an elected official to support its policy objectives.” Only a “fool” or a “coward,” he added, would dismiss the charges.
Mayor Adams delivered the “quid” on Feb. 13 by allowing federal immigration agents into facilities closed to them under New York law. Bove delivered the “quo” on Feb. 14 by moving to dismiss Adams’ charges, subject to reinstatement if Adams stops cooperating. In a joint television appearance that morning, Adams looked like he was making a hostage video as Trump’s border czar Tom Homan threatened, "if he doesn’t come through, I'll be up his butt saying, 'Where the hell is the agreement we came to?'"
Trump routinely threatens to pardon or prosecute those who can help or hurt him politically. Weaponizing the Justice Department is what he does.
Vince Amoroso
Sunset Beach
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