Danielle Sassoon resigned as acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday while five other prosecutors departed due to instructions to let New York City Mayor Eric Adams off the hook in his corruption case. Concerns about political meddling in the legal system emerged after this action was taken.
The Department of Justice gave Sassoon’s office orders to stop its investigation into Eric Adams where charges included foreign campaign contribution violations and possible bribery according to sources familiar with the situation. The Washington order prompted rebellion within the prosecuting team because they had almost completed their investigation before its issuance.
Sassoon ended her service as the prosecutor immediately after receiving the order to suspend investigations. She could not justify staying in her position since political influence surpassed better pursuit of justice thus she resigned.
A few months later, five other experienced prosecutors quit, and among them were the chiefs of public corruption and financial crime units. An official who spoke on condition of anonymity described the action as “unprecedented,” saying that interference of such proportions in ongoing casework had never before been seen at the office.
Investigators looked into whether Adams had received foreign donations as a quid-pro-quo for political concessions. Federal prosecutors were also looking into Adams’ ties with Turkish business interests and how they helped expedite some contracts under his administration. The mayor has denied any wrongdoing and called the probe politically motivated.
Even with the departures, the Justice Department has held its position during the castigation developed against it, stating the case did not have sufficient facts for prosecution. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove stated in a press conference that the directive was on “legal and procedural grounds, not political.” However, critics argue that the action raises fundamental ethical and constitutional issues.
Legal analysts say that resignations could dent faith in the Southern District of New York, an ordinarily independent prosecutorial office whose fame or infamy rests with handling high-profile financial and political corruption cases. Pressure has arisen from lawmakers seeking an external review to determine whether political considerations bore any influence on the Justice Department’s choice.
Given the larger immediate context of the continuing fallout, it is unclear whether a new prosecutor might open up the case again or put the investigation of Adams on the shelf permanently. Meanwhile, various advocacy groups and watchdog organizations are calling on Congress to investigate accusations of political meddling in federal prosecutions, marking a general sign that the scandal is far from over.
