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Three federal prosecutors, Celia Cohen, Andrew Rohrbach, and Derek Wikstrom, who were part of the dismissed corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, announced their resignation on Tuesday. They cited feeling coerced into confessing to wrongdoing in exchange for the possibility of being reinstated to their positions.
In a letter addressed to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the trio emphasized their refusal to admit to any misconduct, stating, “We will not confess wrongdoing when there was none.” Their resignations highlight a deepening dispute within the Justice Department regarding the handling of the case against Adams, a Democrat.
The prosecutors had been placed on leave after several colleagues in New York and Washington declined orders to discontinue the investigation into Adams. Cohen, Rohrbach, and Wikstrom indicated that one of the conditions set for their return to work involved expressing regret and acknowledging some fault by the Office related to their refusal to dismiss the case.
They expressed concerns about a shift in priorities within the Justice Department, asserting that new leadership prioritized obedience over adherence to legal and ethical standards. “That is wrong,” they concluded.
The letter gained attention after being shared by various news organizations. Its authenticity was corroborated by a reliable source who had received the communication.
The resigning prosecutors reaffirmed their commitment to integrity, stating, “There is no greater privilege than to work for an institution whose mandate is to do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons. We will not abandon this principle to keep our jobs. We resign.”
Coinciding with the resignations, Jay Clayton, former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, was sworn in as the interim top prosecutor for the New York office. Clayton noted his gratitude to President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for the opportunity, and he has been nominated for a permanent position pending Senate confirmation.
Adams, previously the Brooklyn borough president, had faced charges last year over allegations of accepting illegal campaign funds and travel benefits from a Turkish official among others. These charges were viewed as part of a broader investigation into political corruption.
Following President Trump’s inauguration, the Justice Department directed the then-acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, to drop the case against Adams not based on evidence, but rather to facilitate the mayor’s involvement in Trump’s immigration efforts. Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, suggested the case against Adams may have stemmed from his criticism of former President Biden’s immigration policies.
Sassoon opted to resign rather than comply with the directive, calling the department’s demands a form of “quid pro quo” and expressing confusion over the rationale behind their actions. She raised concerns that dismissing the case would only intensify perceptions of political bias within the Justice Department, revealing that prosecutors had contemplated additional charges against Adams for allegedly making false statements and destroying evidence. Following her departure, multiple career prosecutors chose to resign in protest.
The case against Adams was officially dismissed in April when Judge Dale E. Ho determined that the prosecution had adhered to all necessary guidelines throughout the investigation. In his ruling, Ho stated emphatically, “There is no evidence — zero — that they had any improper motives.” The dismissal was made with prejudice, preventing the government from refiling the charges.
The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment on the situation.
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