In a dramatic turn of events, three federal prosecutors involved in the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams have resigned while on administrative leave.
The resignations come as Celia V. Cohen, Andrew Rohrbach, and Derek Wikstrom accused Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of pressuring them to falsely express regret and admit wrongdoing regarding the case.
In a sharp letter to Blanche, the trio indicated that the Department of Justice placed each of them on administrative leave to review their handling of the Adams case. However, they claimed the purported review was merely a guise for coercion.
“It is now clear that one of the preconditions you have placed on our returning to the Office is that we must express regret and admit some wrongdoing by the Office in connection with the refusal to move to dismiss the case,” they wrote. “We will not confess wrongdoing when there was none.”
These prosecutors were part of a faction within the Justice Department that opposed the dismissal of bribery charges against Adams in February. They were placed on leave last month while an investigation unfolded regarding the handling of the case.
“We have served under Presidents of both parties, advancing their priorities while pursuing justice without fear or favor,” the three stated in their resignation letter.
They emphasized the integrity of their roles, asserting that a career prosecutor’s duty is to uphold the law and adhere to ethical standards rather than bow to directives from superiors.
“Now, the Department has decided that obedience supersedes all else, requiring us to abdicate our legal and ethical obligations in favor of directions from Washington. That is wrong,” they added.
The controversy surrounding the request by acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove to dismiss charges against Adams began in mid-February. This situation escalated when Danielle Sassoon, then-acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, resigned on February 13.
In her resignation, Sassoon suggested that Bove and other DOJ leadership were aware of a potential quid pro quo, which implicated Adams’ support for President Donald Trump’s immigration policies in exchange for case dismissal.
“Rather than be rewarded, Adams’s advocacy should be called out for what it is: an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal of his case,” Sassoon wrote.
Following her departure, five other DOJ officials resigned in protest, illustrating the degree of dissent within the ranks regarding the case.
Despite the turmoil, six top DOJ officials refused to sign off on dismissing the charges against Adams, further highlighting the internal conflict over the case.
In 2022, Adams was indicted by the Southern District of New York on five counts related to a conspiracy involving improper benefits, illegal campaign contributions, and attempts at concealment. He has maintained his plea of not guilty.
The dismissal paperwork for the charges against Adams was subsequently signed by an attorney from the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section. This left the ultimate decision to dismiss the case in the hands of a federal judge in New York.
On April 2, Judge Dale Ho dismissed the case, but with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be revived in the future. This was contrary to the DOJ’s request for dismissal without prejudice, which would have allowed for the possibility of re-filing charges against Adams after the upcoming mayoral election in November.
The ripple effects of this ongoing saga continued with the resignation of the three prosecutors, who ended their letter to Blanche with a strong statement of principle.
“Serving in the Southern District of New York has been an honor. There is no greater privilege than to work for an institution whose mandate is to do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons. We will not abandon this principle to keep our jobs. We resign,” they declared.
As of now, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has declined to comment on the situation, leaving many questions unanswered as the fallout continues in this contentious legal battle.
image source from：https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/3-federal-prosecutors-assigned-eric-adams-case-resign/story?id=121053687
