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#DOJ ofcls in Washington just filed their motion to dismiss the bribery & fraud case against NYC Mayor #EricAdams. The move begins the next chapter in the saga of the dept’s effort to halt the case against the mayor.
The motion was signed by the acting dpty AG, #EmilBove, who has been at the center of the controversy over the DOJ’s decision to move to bring an end to the case against the mayor.
#law #Trump #QuidProQuo #corruption
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/14/nyregion/eric-adams-charges-doj/006e03fa-d615-5d7d-ab55-a5f5ff9233f5?smid=url-share
It was #EmilBove who on Mon ordered the US atty in Manhattan, #DanielleSassoon, to move to dismiss the case. She refused &, yesterday, resigned. Several other #DOJ prosecutors also resigned rather than put their names on the motion to dismiss. Now, at the end of the week, #Bove’s own signature is on the motion.
The judge in the case, Dale Ho, will have the opportunity to question the DOJ ofcls, if he chooses to do so, about why to end the prosecution against Mayor #EricAdams.
The federal prosecutors’ motion asks Judge Dale E. Ho to enter a dismissal of the case “without prejudice.” That means the charges could be reinstated in the future.
The possibility that the case could be resurrected leaves #EricAdams facing the threat of a possible renewed prosecution. It also gives the #DOJ extraordinary #leverage over the mayor of #NYC, the nation’s largest city, as the #Trump Admin implements its #MassDeportation program.
More than half a dozen government attorneys have resigned since the order by the #Trump admin's #DOJ to drop charges against Mayor #EricAdams of New York City.
The federal prosecutors in Manhattan who had been involved in #EricAdams’s case sent a letter to Judge Ho Friday evening indicating they were withdrawing from the case. They included #HaganScotten, the lead prosecutor who resigned from #SDNY in protest of #EmilBove’s order to drop charges, & 3 others: Celia V. Cohen, Andrew Rohrbach & Derek Wikstrom.
Under pressure, #DOJ lawyers felt forced to choose between bad options in the #EricAdams case.
The acting dpty AG, #EmilBove, a #Trump political appointee, made a demand that many of them viewed as improper: One of them needed to sign the official request to dismiss #corruption charges against Adams.
The lawyers knew that those who had already refused had resigned, & they could also be forced out.
#law #ethics #criminal #IndependentJudiciary
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/us/politics/eric-adams-doj-lawyers.html?smid=url-share
By Friday afternoon, a veteran prosecutor in the section, Ed Sullivan, agreed to submit the request in Manhattan federal court to shield his colleagues from being fired, or resigning en masse, acc/to 3 people briefed on the interaction, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of #retribution.
The filing landed in the court docket Friday evening, bearing the name of Mr. Sullivan & that of a #criminal division supervisor as well as the signature of #EmilBove.
On Thurs, 6 lawyers — the #Trump-appointed acting US attorney for #SDNY & 5 prosecutors in Washington — resigned rather than accede to #EmilBove’s demands. On Fri, a 7th stepped down, writing in his resignation letter that only a “fool” or a “coward” would sign off on the dismissal.
But those close to the #PublicIntegrity section prosecutors described Sullivan’s decision to put his name on the document as heroic. The reason … [he did it was] to protect others….
Before being summoned for the tense meeting, lawyers in the section debated their bad options, but came to increasingly believe that someone should step forward to save the jobs of the others….
#EmilBove, speaking on a video call, demanded that the court motions be signed within an hour… leaving participants with the impression that they might face disciplinary action if no one complied.
Lawyers in the section understand that the outcome is in many ways already determined: Judges have little discretion but to ultimately accept such a motion. Nevertheless, it appears increasingly likely that the trial judge may hold a hearing to question #DOJ ofcls about the decision. Such a hearing could be difficult & embarrassing for the dept’s new leaders.
Part of the consideration for #DOJ lawyers is whether simply signing the document would mean risking their #bar license, since major ethical objections have already been made to dropping the case.
But in those private discussions, many of the lawyers believed it would be a worse outcome if all the section’s lawyers were fired or forced to resign over the #EricAdams case.
Current & former #DOJ officials praised those who had already stepped down, saying they sacrificed their livelihoods & dream jobs [& quite likely their physical safety; defying a #Trump demand pisses ofc his #sturmabteilung] because they were put in an impossible position — told to do something they considered #immoral, #illegal or #unethical.
In a letter to the inspector general of the Justice Department, Democratic members of the #Senate #Judiciary Committee called for an investigation into Attorney General #PamBondi’s handling of the #EricAdams case, accusing her of weaponizing the department’s prosecutorial power to advance #Trump’s agenda.
@Nonilex@masto.ai hmm. That's a valuable perspective, I guess.
@Nonilex do any bar associations currently (or potentially in the near future) have grounds to disbar bove or bondi, and if so, could that effectively nullify their authority?
This country's law is based on do the crime first and then we'll charge you. We'll ignore you while you are still talking about it. The faster bondi does something seriously illegal they can charge her with the better. They should all quit.
People, even #MAGA people, have to ask why #Trump wants to dismiss charges without prejudice* in this high profile #corruption case against a #Democrat running a #sanctuarycity & why a #prosecutor who was awarded two bronze stars for #MilitaryService & served as a #lawclerk for #Republican #ChiefJusticeJohnRoberts is willing to loose their job trying to continue the #prosecution.
*a dismissal without prejudice means the charges can be filed without invoking #doublejeopardy.
@Nonilex They are wrong. Tell them not to stay to “save the department”. They should let it all fall. The faster the better. It’s the only way to get out of this mess.
@Nonilex@masto.ai It's not heroic. He just set a precedent that #SDNY can be intimidated into toeing the party line.
@zakalwe he’s DOJ not SDNY
@Nonilex@masto.ai Sorry, I'm so weary I can't keep the players straight.
"The reason … [he did it was] to protect others"
That only helps if those "others" then sabotage the fascists' efforts in the Justice Department.
If the rest just roll over to keep their jobs, it was cowardly and foolish as described.
@Nonilex but he didn’t protect them. Not beyond that immediate point in time.