'It's not normal!' CNN host shuts down conservative downplaying prosecutor's resignation
CNN's Jim Sciutto interrupted a conservative commentator who argued there was nothing extraordinary about an interim U.S. attorney resigning rather than carry out a directive from Donald Trump's Department of Justice.
Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor Danielle Sassoon and five high-ranking DOJ officials resigned Thursday after she refused to carry out an order from acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove – a former Trump criminal defense lawyer – to drop corruption charges against New York City mayor Eric Adams, but GOP strategist Brad Todd argued the case was no unusual.
"Well, I think the Department of Justice and the president had been talking about the fact that they thought Eric Adams had been targeted for his criticism of Joe Biden's immigration policies for quite some time," Todd said, "and, you know, the departures at the southern district of New York, the firings, this is normal every time a new president is elected. The U.S. attorneys are removed from their jobs."
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Sciutto interrupted to disagree, saying that federal prosecutors don't typically step down in protest weeks into their tenure.
"No, it's not normal for them to resign in protest – a series of protests, not the New York attorney assigned to the case, but then the Plan B in effect, right?" Sciutto said. "They go to the Office of Public Integrity and they say, 'No, we're not going to drop this case under pressure – that's not normal.'"
"No, it is absolutely normal," Todd disagreed. "Appointed U.S. attorneys retire or resign or are fired immediately after every after every presidential election."
Sassoon is a Republican and former clerk to the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia who was appointed Jan. 21 by Trump.
"They didn't [resign] after change of the administration," Sciutto said. "They did it in protest to this decision – it's just a fact. It's just a fact. Did you read the letter? Did you read the conservative New York attorney's letter about this case?"
Todd complained about the terms of the debate
"Are you asking questions or are you on the panel?" Todd said. "I mean, they retired because I'm –"
Sciutto interrupted again, and challenged Todd to step up his argument.
"I'm asking you," Sciutto said. "I'm asking merely for a recognition of the facts here, as opposed to a repetition of talking points."
"No, every time there's a change of administration, the U.S. attorneys turn over," Todd replied. "They either resign or they are fired. That's the way it works. It's worked that way in every presidential administration since we've been alive. That's what's happened here."
Sciutto turned to another panelist at that point.
"Okay, given that he will not acknowledge the letter from the conservative New York attorney explaining her reasons for for leaving, what's your reaction to seeing this?" Sciutto said.
"I'm not surprised by this, and I know mayor Adams," said Democratic operative Hyma Moore. "I've been with him a couple of times. I'm not surprised by how this has played out. I mean, when you think about what happened over the last two years with mayor Adams and the immigration crisis in New York, he has not been a friend of Joe Biden, and Joe Biden was not a friend of his, and so I'm not shocked that he's kowtowed to Donald trump in order to get this dropped. i mean, he's fighting for his life right now. he wants to be mayor of New York again. But, look, I think people are right. I think this is a bit of quid pro quo, and I think he has been very clear that if he's friend, if he's friends with Donald Trump, he will not be prosecuted."
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