Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove delivered a stern rebuke Thursday to the U.S. attorney who resigned rather than drop the case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. In an eight-page letter, Bove stated that the DOJ would “not tolerate the insubordination and apparent misconduct reflected in the approach” displayed by acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon, and her office in their handling of the case.
“You lost sight of the oath that you took when you started at the Department of Justice by suggesting that you retain discretion to interpret the Constitution in a manner inconsistent with the policies of a democratically elected President and a Senate-confirmed Attorney General,” Bove wrote to Sassoon.
She explained in her resignation letter that dismissing the Adams indictment would be inconsistent with her “ability and duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor and to advance good-faith arguments before the courts.” She added: “I remain baffled by the rushed and superficial process by which this decision was reached, in seeming collaboration with Adams’s counsel and without my direct input on the ultimate stated rationales for dismissal.”
Bove’s response outlined multiple concerns with the case, including “questionable behavior” by the prosecution team under Sassoon’s predecessor and the timing of the charges, which coincided with Adams’ 2025 campaign. He also argued that the prosecution was obstructing Adams’ ability to collaborate on illegal immigration enforcement, posing a risk to the safety of “millions of New Yorkers.”
“It is not for local federal officials such as yourself, who lack access to all relevant information, to question these judgements within the Justice Department’s chain of command,” he said. Adams was indicted in September on bribery, campaign finance and fraud charges for allegedly accepting lavish benefits from Turkey.
While Bove left the door open for a potential future indictment, Sassoon argued that this approach raises ethical concerns if the Mayor’s cooperation “with enforcing the immigration laws proves unsatisfactory to the Department.” She also revealed that her office had proposed a superseding indictment, including an obstruction charge, citing evidence that Adams destroyed records and provided false information to the FBI.
The former Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, resigned in November. Sassoon was temporarily appointed to the position in January while Trump’s nominee, former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton, awaits Senate confirmation.