The chief federal prosecutor in Manhattan has resigned following directives for her team to abandon their criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, according to three sources who spoke with CBS News.
Danielle Sassoon stepped down from her position as acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York on Thursday, just days after a senior Justice Department official instructed her office to withdraw corruption charges against the mayor.
On Monday, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove issued a memo directing prosecutors in Manhattan to dismiss the five-count indictment that had been filed in September.
“You are directed, as authorized by the Attorney General, to dismiss the pending charges,” Bove stated, noting that the department arrived at this decision without evaluating the strength of the evidence or the legal theories underlying the case, and that it “in no way questions the integrity and efforts” of the prosecutors involved.
The Justice Department has not responded to requests for comment.
Bove mentioned Adams’ “restricted” capacity to assist the Trump administration in enforcing its immigration policies. The case will be dropped without prejudice until the upcoming mayoral election later this year, pending a review by the U.S. attorney’s office, meaning the charges could potentially be reinstated in the future.
Adams was scheduled for trial on the charges—which included bribery and campaign finance violations—in April. He has pleaded not guilty and has denied any wrongdoing.
Despite the Justice Department’s directive, prosecutors in Sassoon’s office had not yet acted on the order as of Thursday, indicating a possible conflict between the office that initiated the charges against Adams and the new leadership of the Trump administration.
During a press conference on Wednesday, when the Justice Department unveiled a civil lawsuit against New York State officials, Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that she was not aware that prosecutors in the Southern District of New York had not complied with Bove’s directive.
Sassoon was appointed as interim head of the office while Jay Clayton, President Trump’s nominee for Manhattan’s U.S. attorney, awaits Senate confirmation.
