Trump official’s demand in Adams case forces Justice Dept. showdown | A crisis at the department over the Eric Adams case is an early test of the criminal justice system’s resilience against a retribution-minded president and his appointees
Posted by ONETRILLIONAMERICANS
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This is something to keep a close eye on. Turning federal law enforcement into a personal tool of the president is a massive red flag for descent into authoritarianism.
> In less than a month in power, President Trump’s political appointees have embarked on an unapologetic, strong-arm effort to impose their will on the Justice Department, seeking to justify their actions as the simple reversal of the “politicization” of federal law enforcement under their Biden-era predecessors.
> The ferocious campaign, executed by Emil Bove III — Mr. Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer who is now the department’s acting No. 2 official — is playing out in public, in real time, through a series of moves that underscore Mr. Trump’s intention to bend the traditionally nonpartisan career staff in federal law enforcement to suit his ends.
> That strategy has quickly precipitated a crisis that is an early test of how resilient the norms of the criminal justice system will prove to be against the pressures brought by a retribution-minded president and his appointees.
> **On Thursday, the interim U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Danielle R. Sassoon, resigned rather than sign off on Mr. Bove’s command to dismiss the corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams of New York.** Ms. Sassoon is no member of the liberal resistance: She clerked for the conservative Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, and had been appointed to her post by Mr. Trump’s team.
> Dropping the charges, “for reasons having nothing to do with the strength of the case” went against the “duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor,” she wrote in a letter to Mr. Bove explaining her decision.
> Mr. Bove, rebuffed by Ms. Sassoon, tried a procedural end-around, asking officials in the department’s Washington headquarters to take over the case, then have someone on their staff sign the dismissal.
> **Instead, five prosecutors in the criminal division and public integrity unit also quit**, leaving their colleagues to furtively discuss their options, expressing their hope that they would not be called upon to take actions that would end with their resignation or termination.
> As of late Thursday, no department official had formally filed the dismissal motion in federal court.
> The consequences of the confrontation extend far beyond the fate of Mr. Adams. It has set up what promises to be a protracted and damaging battle over the integrity, independence and direction of a department that Mr. Trump views like a piece of captured battlefield artillery he is now able to turn against his attackers.
> **Mr. Bove is, in the view of his critics, imposing what amounts to a political loyalty test on prosecutors** — demanding they comply with his requests, however unacceptable and incompatible with norms, or get out.
What the hell is this supposed to mean? How is it an “early test”? Trump did it without consequence and now he has even less internal opposition. Does the NYT really believe they won’t be able to find some MAGA creatures willing to do whatever Trump wants?
The conservative cope around this right now is hilarious. Eric Adams was only targeted by the Biden Justice Department because he spoke out on immigration. I’d love to hear why the US Attorney, appointed by Trump two weeks ago, is so defensive of Biden immigration policies that she is unwilling to drop the corrupt investigation?
This title is really understating what’s happening here… If you haven’t, I highly recommend reading Bove’s response to Sassoon. The guy is a full-blooded authoritarian and henchmen like him are exactly what schizophrenic conservatives think the deep state is.