Manhattan US attorney resigns after DOJ orders Eric Adams charges dropped

The acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York has resigned from her post after the Justice Department (DOJ) directed her to drop charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D). 

A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office confirmed Danielle Sassoon stepped down from her post Thursday afternoon. 

They didn’t elaborate on the reasoning behind her decision, but it comes just days after the DOJ told her that the charges against Adams should be dropped, arguing that the case “improperly interfered” with Adams’s reelection campaign and restricted his ability to address illegal immigration and violent crime. 

The memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove notably didn’t argue against the legitimacy of any evidence gathered against Adams or evaluate the strength of the case.

The decision from DOJ to drop the charges wasn’t unexpected, as Adams had been increasingly inching closer to President Trump, fueling speculation that the charges would be dropped or that Adams would be pardoned. Adams had railed against the charges accusing him of corruption as politically motivated because of his criticism of the Biden administration’s immigration policy, using a similar line to Trump, who has accused the administration of indicting him for political reasons.

Adams was first formally accused of wrongdoing in September when charges were brought under Damian Williams, who served as U.S. attorney for the district under President Biden. The indictment alleged he accepted and sought bribes throughout much of his political career, dating back to at least 2014 and continuing through his 2021 mayoral campaign and his tenure as mayor.

Adams always maintained his innocence but began getting closer to Trump as the 2024 campaign went on and particularly after Trump won the election in November. He has spoken about working with Trump particularly on the issue of immigration and met with him days before Inauguration Day.

He also attended Trump’s inauguration after a last-minute schedule change in which he skipped previously scheduled events for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Adams avoided saying whether he would accept a pardon from Trump amid the speculation but expressed gratitude for the DOJ decision in comments reacting to it, praising its “honesty.”

Williams stepped down from his post in December ahead of Trump coming into office.

NBC reported Sassoon announced her decision to resign in a brief statement to her colleagues in the office that doesn’t refer to the memo, but her office refused to drop the charges against Adams. Two other officials within the DOJ also resigned over their refusal to drop the case.

Sassoon previously clerked for prominent conservative former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and was responsible for prosecuting Sam Bankman-Fried over the FTX crash.

Who will take over for Sassoon is unclear, but a judge must sign off for the charges against Adams to be dropped.