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Calls for Special Counsel in Adams Case Amid Controversy
NEW YORK — A former prosecutor from the Watergate era has urged the federal judge overseeing the case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams to appoint a special counsel. This appeal comes in light of the Justice Department’s recent request to dismiss charges against Adams.
Attorney Nathaniel Akerman submitted a letter to Judge Dale E. Ho in Manhattan’s federal court, emphasizing the importance of public representation in this case. Akerman noted that the recent request to drop the charges had not been subjected to scrutiny from any party focused on the public’s interest.
In his correspondence, Akerman expressed concerns about the circumstances under which the Justice Department made its recommendation to dismiss the case, suggesting that the court should investigate how this decision was arrived at. Furthermore, he proposed that Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove be summoned to court to explain his reasoning.
Akerman also advocated for the potential appointment of an independent special prosecutor who would gain access to critical evidence and grand jury materials to pursue the case further. His involvement stems from his role as legal counsel for Common Cause, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to upholding election integrity in the United States.
Mayor Adams has pleaded not guilty to charges arising from his tenure as Brooklyn borough president, where he is accused of receiving over $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions and extravagant travel benefits from a Turkish official and influential business leaders aiming to sway his decisions.
The request from Akerman follows a notable professional conflict between Bove, who is the number two official at the Justice Department, and two prominent federal prosecutors based in New York: interim Manhattan U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon and assistant U.S. attorney Hagan Scotten, who has been leading the prosecution against Adams.
In a dramatic turn of events, Sassoon resigned on Thursday along with five other senior officials at the Justice Department. Scotten followed suit the next day, noting that he respected Sassoon’s stance against dropping the charges, especially amid suggestions that the prosecution could potentially be revived after the upcoming election.
Sassoon’s resignation highlighted concerns about governmental influence, as she argued that the administration should not leverage the possibility of dismissal or future criminal charges to sway elected officials toward its policy goals.
On Monday, amidst escalating calls for his resignation from various Democratic factions, Adams acknowledged that four of his senior aides had chosen to resign following the Justice Department’s controversial push to end his corruption case. This effort reportedly includes a drive to gain Adams’ cooperation on matters related to Trump’s immigration policy.
Akerman’s letter reflected Sassoon’s alarm that the Justice Department was potentially deriving a “quid pro quo” arrangement based on the proposal from Adams’ legal team; they suggested that his cooperation on immigration enforcement was to be exchanged for dismissal of the charges. This assertion was described as a serious threat to the principles of justice.
Akerman pointed to substantial evidence within Justice Department documents that purportedly demonstrate that dismissing the Adams indictment serves neither legal nor public interests, instead suggesting a corrupt alliance between Mayor Adams and the Trump administration.
He further claimed that documents indicated Adams was prepared to compromise by aiding the Trump administration’s immigration policy in return for the dismissal of his indictment.
In response, Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, firmly rejected the quid pro quo allegation, denouncing it as an outright falsehood.
In a now-controversial move last week, Bove indicated that facilitating the mayor’s dismissal of charges would allow him to better assist Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, while also enabling Adams to campaign for reelection free from the burdens of criminal indictments.
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abcnews.go.com