The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan resigned yesterday after orders from the Justice Department to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams (D). Danielle Sassoon had been appointed acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York by President Donald Trump last month. Two other federal attorneys involved in the case also resigned.
Adams was indicted in September on five counts of bribery, fraud, and receiving illegal campaign donations following a three-year probe by the office (see previous write-up) and was set to go on trial in April. Monday's order from Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said the decision to drop charges was not based on the strength of evidence, but suggested that the case against Adams had been politicized and that charges interfered with the city's 2025 mayoral election and Adams' ability to address challenges related to immigration and crime (read letter).
New York City's primaries—a strong predictor of who will win the November general election in majority Democratic city—are scheduled for June 24. Polls currently show Adams in a distant second place behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 33% to 10%.
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