Too Legit Not to Quit
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But even absolutely corrupt corruption is an understated description for what the Pam Bondi led Justice Department is trying to pull in New York. The Justice Department demanded that the Southern District of NY office drop the corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams, essentially in exchange for Adams’ assistance with the administration’s immigration crackdown and, of course, a string of supportive niceties from Adams about Trump. Just in case you think that’s an exaggeration, the day after the order to drop the case, Eric Adams appeared on Fox & Friends with border czar Tom Homan to tout their burgeoning relationship. During the interview, Homan explained to the NYC mayor he’ll be ‘up his butt‘ if he breaks his vow to help ICE. He might find a few SDNY prosectors already up there, because the classic and deeply disturbing quid pro quo has been met with a widespread quit pro quo.
+ The first act of resistance came from Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon (notably, a Republican, a former Scalia clerk, and a Federalist Society member) who resigned after refusing to carry out the order to drop the charges. She explained her decision in a scathing letter to Bondi. “It is a breathtaking and dangerous precedent to reward Adams’s opportunistic and shifting commitments on immigration and other policy matters with dismissal of a criminal indictment. Nor will a court likely find that such an improper exchange is consistent with the public interest.”
+ Sassoon wasn’t the only one to say Take this job and gov it. Six other prosecutors have resigned, including Hagan Scotten, an assistant U.S. attorney (and a former Special Forces Officers who clerked for Roberts and Kavanaugh) who sent his resignation letter to Emil Bove (the person who directly issued to order to drop the case). “There is a tradition in public service of resigning in a last- ditch effort to head off a serious mistake. Some will view the mistake you are committing here in the light of their generally negative views ofthe new Administration. I do not share those views. I can even understand how a Chief Executive whose background is in business and politics might see the contemplated dismissal-with- leverage as a good, if distasteful, deal. But any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way. 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.”
+ Eventually, the administration is going to find some fool or coward to carry out this order. That will be true of many other corrupt orders over the next few years. But hold onto this moment when patriotic and professional Americans, who don’t necessarily hold your political views, were willing to take a risky, political stand in the name of justice. Over time, there will be fewer and fewer of these principled people working for the Trump administration. But there will still be plenty of them in America.
+ Here’s the latest from the NYT (Gift Article).
