Three prosecutors resign in New York Mayor Adams case

Three Manhattan federal prosecutors working on the criminal case against New York Mayor Eric Adams resigned on Tuesday, accusing the Department of Justice of “forcing us to admit wrongdoing” in connection with their opposition to the dismissal of charges.

In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the prosecutors stated, “The Department has decided that obedience is paramount, asking us to abandon our legal and ethical obligations in favor of Washington’s directives. This is wrong.”

The prosecutors alleged that Adams improperly issued permits for the “Turkish House,” a building constructed directly across from the United Nations building in Manhattan, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye building in exchange for luxury class flights, hotel suite accommodations, and meals at upscale restaurants.

Prosecutors Celia Cohen, Andrew Rohrbach, and Derek Wikstrom, along with US Attorney Danielle Sassoon, who was working in Manhattan at the time, were placed on administrative leave in February after they refused to accept the Department of Justice’s directive to dismiss the five-count corruption case against the Democratic mayor.

Sassoon, along with at least five other prosecutors in New York and Washington, had resigned in protest. The prosecutors had alleged that the Department of Justice dropped the case in exchange for the mayor’s support for President Donald Trump’s policy objectives, particularly regarding immigration practices.

The Department stated that it would review the prosecutors’ handling of the case, and Cohen, Rohrbach, and Wikstrom said in their letter that officials had improperly pressured them to admit errors in their conduct.

The prosecutors wrote, “It is now clear that one of the preconditions you have set for our return to the Office is that we express remorse and admit to certain errors made by the Office in connection with the request to dismiss the case. We will not confess to wrongdoing when there was none.”

The prosecutors’ letter comes at a time when the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office is in turmoil regarding the outcome of the Adams case. On Tuesday, interim US Attorney Jay Clayton, nominated by Trump for the position, took over as the department’s interim leader.

Clayton was appointed to the interim position last week after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced he would block his nomination, citing concerns about the Department of Justice’s stance.

Clayton, who has never worked as a prosecutor, spent most of his career at Sullivan & Cromwell, the law firm Trump hired to represent him in his appeal of his criminal conviction in Manhattan earlier this year.

According to a person familiar with the matter, Clayton is preparing to hire Amanda Houle, another Sullivan & Cromwell partner, to serve as the office’s chief of criminal division.