Federal prosecutors in Manhattan filed a motion Friday to dismiss New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case, caving to pressure from the Justice Department to drop criminal charges against the mayor.
In a memo to federal prosecutors on Feb. 10, acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove asked for Adams’ case to be dismissed without prejudice, arguing that the indictment in September is too close to the upcoming New York City mayoral primary in June. Bove also claimed that the criminal charges against Adams — which he pleaded not guilty to in September — hindered the mayor’s ability to work with President Donald Trump to crack down on immigrants and fight crime in New York.
Bove’s memo sparked something of a revolt within the Justice Department. Danielle Sassoon, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and at least six other federal prosecutors have resigned over the DOJ directive.
Sassoon told U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in a letter dated Feb. 12 that in a meeting last month with Bove and Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro, the mayor’s legal team “repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed.” Bove also “admonished a member of my team who took notes during that meeting and directed the collection of those notes at the meeting’s conclusion,” Sassoon wrote.
Spiro and Bove have denied Sassoon’s allegation of engaging in a quid pro quo. Adams said in a statement Friday that he has “never offered — nor did anyone offer on my behalf — any trade of my authority as your mayor for an end to my case.” Adams and Spiro have framed Bove’s request for the case’s dismissal as proof of his innocence. But the charges against the mayor have not yet vanished. A federal judge will review the motion for dismissal.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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