Seven federal prosecutors last week Resignation Rather than approving dismissing federal criminal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. They were right to do so Dismissal is a blatant quid pro and the charges have been dropped in exchange for Adams, who agrees to help President Donald Trump crack down on immigrants.
The incident highlights the second Trump administration speeding up its authoritarian playbook, a stage that even loyalists cannot do because the demands are so blatantly illegal. It takes less than a month to reach.
Representing Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who was previously employed as one of Trump’s defense lawyers. order The charges have declined, but these are not typical reasons why criminal charges are dismissed, such as prosecutor misconduct or insufficient evidence. Instead, Bove said the pending criminal charges meant that Adams could not pay sufficient attention to fighting illegal immigration and violent crime.
Needless to say, this is not a typical reason to dismiss criminal charges. But it reminds me of the arguments Trump made regarding criminal charges he dealt with: if the president faces the threat of future prosecution, it Prevent it He should be immune from prosecution, as they take “bold and gentle behavior.”
Of course, a conservative majority of the US Supreme Court purchased and invented the argument. Absolute Presidential Exemption From the whole fabric. Bove’s argument here was roughly the same. How can Adams kick immigrants in his teeth if he had to take the time to protect himself in a criminal case?
In addition to being based on an illegal Quid Pro Quo arrangement, the dismissal of Adams’ accusations came with another, very unusual piece. The charges were to be dismissed without prejudice. This gives the administration a great deal of leverage over Adams. The DOJ can threaten to refill the criminal charges whenever Adams proves inadequately vicious with immigrants in New York City or otherwise irritates Trump.
The request was so extraordinary that the first person to refuse to do it were not the Biden-era holdover appointee or the awakened Liberal prosecutor. Rather, it was Daniel Sasson–A member of the Federalist Association and former clerk of Justice Antonin Scalia, Trump appointed interim US lawyers for the Southern District of New York just a few weeks ago. written by sassoon Amazing letters It details Quid Pro Quo and reveals information such as Bove that warns members of Sassoon’s team to take notes during negotiations.
Several other prosecutors followed suit to step down rather than sign the unethical arrangement. Deputy Assistant General Kevin Driscoll and John Keller, deputy director of the Public Integrity Section; Both are leftand so did the three prosecutors on Keller’s team.
Hagenscotten, the chief prosecutor in the Adams case, is also I resignedBove says, “In the end, you’ll find someone who’s fooled enough or cowardly enough to submit your move.” But it was never meant to be me. “Like Sassoon, Scotter is not a liberal with wild eyes Secretary Secretary John Roberts and Judge Brett Kavanaugh returned when the latter was a federal appeals judge.
Bove then convened a meeting of the entire public integrity, demanding that the two move forward and sign the fire. Implicitly to demand, everyone was I’ll be fired Unless someone step up. Career prosecutor Ed Sullivan agreed to sign the signing to prevent mass shootings. Another prosecutor, Antoinette Bacon, also signed off, but in Bacon’s case, those reporting to her said she appears to be following Bove.
Bove signed fire. This is how other prosecutors emphasize how much the request to sign off is just a loyalty test, and how the administration sees how unethical federal prosecutors act unethical. At any time, Bove and Bacon could have avoided resigning for the next few days, which signed the fire and created Richard Nixon. Saturday Night Massacre It looks like a quaint tea party. In such circumstances, Nixon attempted to fire Archibald Cox, the special counsel who led the Watergate investigation, and the subsequent confusion.
In theory, the US should have had some guardrails against such weaponized DOJs. Historically, the DOJ has maintained its level of separation from the White House. Because the department is supposed to serve people, not the president.
However, Attorney General Pam Bondy It has been declared Trump will now set priorities and objectives. In a memo issued shortly after she took office, she It has been declared DOJ officials had to be “ready and willing” to make the president’s bid.
Outside of the DOJ, Trump is also trying to make it much safer for federal employees to blow away exactly what Bove is engaged in here. he Dismissal Hampton Dellinger is the Special Advisor Director, a federal agency investigating whistleblowers and retaliation for administrative ethics violations.
Under the law, only Dellinger can do it It will be deleted Regarding “disregarding duties, misconduct, or inefficiency,” Trump didn’t even bother to pretend there was a reason to remove Dillinger. Instead, I received a Dellinger One Line Mail Just saying that his position has ended and it will take effect immediately.
Dellinger sued for his firing, and a federal judge in Washington, D.C. issued a temporary order, leaving him to work while the case was ongoing. After the DC Circuit Court of Appeals I refused To lift the temporary order, Trump asked the Supreme Court to take the matter up, Discussion He was irreparably harmed by his inability to remove the head of an independent agency, simply because he felt that way.
All of these actions are part of Trump and are integrating power within the enforcement department. The demands that federal employees engage in illegal or unethical conduct are designed to eliminate those who do not go with his plans.
It’s scary how it took such a short time because those requests were so excessive. He’s just as terrifying Complete control It surpasses previously independent agencies. He makes the entire enforcement department nothing but a place where amoral loyalists make his bids. Now I feel that strong, unrestrained authoritarianism is turning the corner.
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