Washigton: Three federal prosecutors who were handling the criminal corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned on Tuesday, citing pressure from the Justice Department to admit wrongdoing when they refused to drop the case. According to a letter obtained by Reuters, the prosecutors expressed their frustration over the situation.
“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,” the three prosecutors wrote in a letter addressed to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We will not confess wrongdoing when there was none.”
The prosecutors—Assistant U.S. Attorneys Celia V. Cohen, Andrew Rohrbach, and Derek Wikstrom—had previously been placed on administrative leave after rejecting orders from Blanche’s office to dismiss the charges against Adams.
This resignation marks a significant departure within the New York office, as all five of the original prosecutors involved in the case, including former Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, have stepped down in protest. Additionally, at least six career attorneys in Washington also resigned after being pressured to abandon the case.
Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office, declined to comment on the matter. A representative for Blanche’s office was not immediately available for comment.
The Justice Department’s efforts to dismiss the case began in February, triggering a wave of resignations and raising concerns about the possible political motivations behind the request. Some prosecutors feared that the decision to drop the charges could have been influenced by politics, particularly given the sensitive nature of the case involving a sitting mayor.
Emil Bove, who was acting as Deputy Attorney General at the time, viewed the case as an example of the “weaponization” of the justice system and suggested that Adams’ dismissal from the case would help the Trump administration with its immigration agenda. Bove reportedly pressured Justice Department prosecutors to sign a motion seeking to dismiss the charges against Adams. The attorney who did so now leads the department’s public integrity unit.
Sources revealed that this unit, which deals with many of the country’s most politically sensitive cases, has seen significant reductions in staffing levels in recent times.
Earlier this month, a federal judge dismissed the charges against Adams but criticized the Justice Department’s rationale, suggesting that the request to drop the case in exchange for Adams’ cooperation on immigration issues “smacks of a bargain”.
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Mayor Adams, 64, pleaded not guilty last September to charges of accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish officials. These contributions allegedly resulted in favors, including pressuring fire officials to allow the opening of a new Turkish consulate in Manhattan, despite safety concerns.
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The case has become a major issue in New York City’s mayoral race ahead of the November election, where Adams, whose popularity has waned, is fighting to secure a second term. A Quinnipiac University poll released on March 5 revealed that only one in five New York City voters approved of Adams’ job performance, and 56% believed he should resign.
