Another top Justice Department lawyer announced his resignation on Friday after an internal battle over corruption charges being dropped against New York Mayor Eric Adams.
The New York Times published "line prosecutor" Hagan Scotten's scathing resignation letter in which he tells acting U.S. deputy attorney general Emil Bove: "If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me."
On Thursday, now-former acting Attorney General Danielle Sassoon at the Southern District of New York (SDNY) resigned while alleging Bove ordered charges to be dropped against Adams in a quid pro quo over immigration raids.
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In a letter accepting her resignation, Bove excoriated her for "insubordination."
The Adams prosecution was then sent to the public integrity section of the DOJ. The acting chief, three deputy chiefs, and a deputy assistant attorney general in the criminal division who oversaw the section then resigned.
Scotten's resignation from SDNY means seven top Justice Department employees quit after dropping the Adams prosecution thus far.
The resignation and Scotten's comments, in particular, sent political analysts reeling with social media commentary.
MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell shared the Scotten quote, prompting reporter Molly Jong-Fast to comment, "Like Watergate on angel dust."
"This guy got two Bronze stars in Iraq and clerked for Roberts before landing at SDNY," noted Jon Favreau of "Pod Save America."
The Atlantic's Michael Powell said Scotten is, "Making his grandchildren and great-grandchildren proud one day."
"An amazing resignation letter to Bove from an AUSA who worked on the Adams case," agreed Washington lawyer and Lincoln Project co-founder George Conway.
"And we're losing him as a federal prosecutor because Trump wanted to cut a deal with Eric Adams. Travesty," lamented James Surowiecki, a contributor of "Fast Company."
Tom Witt, retired executive director of Equality Kansas, called it the "Best resignation letter ever."
The willingness to file the motion "is also the single most important Trump appointee qualification: be enough of a fool or coward to pursue his dangerous corrupt policies," commented ArchCity Defenders co-founder Thomas Harvey.
In a statement about the matter as a whole, civil rights lawyer Alec Karakatsanis warned: "The federal court presiding over the Adams case (which hasn't been dismissed) has inherent power to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate whether there are violations of the law being committed. There is cause at this point that an unlawful conspiracy is occurring at the highest levels of the DOJ."
