Trump Order to Drop Eric Adams Case Spurs String of Resignations

Two senior criminal leaders at Justice Department headquarters have resigned after being ordered to drop charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, following Manhattan’s top prosecutor stepping down over the same mandate.

Upon interim Manhattan US Attorney Danielle Sassoon’s decision Thursday to resist the Adams order and resign, Trump DOJ leaders redirected the case to the department’s public integrity section in Washington, where two career officials took the same step as Sassoon, said two people briefed on the matter. The individuals spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

John Keller, the acting chief of the section, which has jurisdiction over corruption cases involving public officials, and his supervisor, Kevin Driscoll, the Criminal Division deputy assistant attorney general, have now departed as well, adding to a growing exodus of DOJ veterans amid Trump administration upheaval.

The developments come days after acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered the case against Adams dismissed. Bove said he hadn’t assessed the strength of evidence in the case but highlighted Adams’ claim that he had been politically targeted for criticizing former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. President Donald Trump has echoed those claims.