Recently disclosed court documents have shed light on the complexities faced by federal prosecutors while they developed the criminal case against Eric Adams, the Mayor of New York City. The initiative, however, is now on the verge of being dismissed, due to external influences stemming from the Trump administration’s Justice Department. As part of efforts to salvage the case, internal email exchanges, text messages, and discussions among prosecutors were revealed on Tuesday.
Danielle Sassoon, a former interim U.S. Attorney, crafted a draft memo that unveiled candid insights and raw opinions regarding the internal tensions related to Adams’ prosecution. Sassoon, who resigned in protest on February 13, backed away from implementing a directive—mandated by a senior Justice Department official—to terminate the case against Adams. In her memorandum, addressed to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on February 12, she expressed her concerns about the interference.
Sassoon noted that Emil Bove, now occupying the third-highest position at the Justice Department, had an intention to abandon corruption charges against the mayor well before a critical briefing was held in Washington. She recounted Bove’s communication on January 27, which preceded a private meeting involving prosecutors, Adams’ defense team, and Justice Department representatives by merely four days.
During this briefing, Sassoon reported that her team had a limited 40 minutes to outline the investigation timeline. She also cited Bove’s controversial directive for a prosecutor to destroy their notes. Sassoon asserted that these actions were compounded by her not being given the opportunity to address essential factors linked to the pursuit of discarding the case.
Subsequently, Adams’ legal team was accorded equal time to discuss potential repercussions of the case on his governance capabilities and his role in President Trump’s immigration plan. These arguments have become pivotal to the Justice Department’s attempts to exempt Adams from any criminal consequences.
Bove officially resolved to drop Adams’ case on February 10, portraying it as politically motivated and a hindrance to the mayor’s purported assistance in Trump’s policies. The Justice Department, aiming to convince Judge Dale E. Ho to approve dismissal, submitted Sassoon’s draft memo and other documents under seal on March 7.
The legal proceedings have been interpreted by some officials, including Bove and Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, as raising doubts about the case’s robustness and whether Adams was being subjected to a misuse of judicial power.
Although Judge Ho has not yet reconfirmed the dismissal, he has mandated public access to these documents after several media entities lobbied for transparency.
Sassoon expressed her disagreement with Bove in a January 27 interaction, suggesting any decision regarding Adams was premature until Blanche was confirmed by the Senate. Nonetheless, Bove opted to proceed, stating that both he and Blanche were aligned on the decision, rendering further delay unnecessary.
During his Senate confirmation hearing on February 12, Blanche denied possessing additional information about Adams’ case, sticking to media-reported narratives. Official statements reiterated Blanche’s non-involvement in the Justice Department decisions before his confirmation.
Adams, who has entered a not guilty plea to allegations of unlawfully receiving over $100,000 in campaign donations and travel extras from individuals, including a Turkish official, continues to face opposition in the forthcoming June Democratic primary.
He and his defense team imply that his prosecution serves as retribution for his criticisms of President Biden’s immigration strategies—a claim denied by prosecutors who insist that the inquiry had commenced well before his public statements.
Sassoon additionally intended to challenge Bove’s viewpoint that actions by former U.S. Attorney Damian Williams had compromised Adams’ case, suggesting alternative measures to lawsuit dismissal, counteracting any prospective bias or misuse of justice. Her attempts to put forward these alternatives, however, were not entertained at the said meeting.
Supplementing these documents were messages encompassing case strategy suggestions and adjustment proposals for a January court filing draft, illustrating internal apprehensions over the prosecution’s conduct and strategy.