Some of the prosecutors who worked on the case involving New York City Mayor Eric Adams were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the interim U.S. Attorney over the case. Now they're resigning.
In a letter sent to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Celia V. Cohen, Andrew Rohrbach and Derek Wikstrom resigned, saying that they refused to abandon their principles, Politico legal reporter Erica Orden posted.
At issue is a demand made by DOJ official Emil Bove that charges against Adams be dropped. The order prompted conservative Republican and interim U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon to resign in February with a public letter blasting the Justice Department for a quid pro quo deal with Adams.
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"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. We will not confess wrongdoing when there was none," the lawyers wrote.
They noted in the joint letter that they'd all served under presidents of both parties "while pursuing justice without fear or favor." They said that their job isn't to set policy but to abide by the oath they take to "uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States and the rules of professional ethics set by the bar and the courts."
"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 said.
"Serving in the Southern District of New York has been an honor," the letter closes. "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."
Adams was indicted last year on public corruption charges, with prosecutors alleging he accepted over $100,000 in luxury travel and hotel stays from individuals connected to the Turkish government. He then tried to expedite approval for a new consulate office for Turkey in New York over the objections of the New York Fire Department.
Bove's order to dismiss the case claimed it was politically interfering with the upcoming New York mayoral election. He also said it would interfere with Adams's ability to assist Donald Trump's administration in immigration raids. Bove denied any allegations of a quid pro quo.
The charges against Adams were ultimately dismissed.
