The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, one of the most powerful figures in US law enforcement, has quit following an order from the Trump administration to drop the prosecution of New York City mayor Eric Adams.
Danielle Sassoon, a veteran prosecutor who took over as US attorney for the Southern District of New York in December in an acting capacity, has resigned, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Sassoon rose through the ranks over nine years in the Manhattan US attorney’s office, part of a team that secured the conviction and 25-year prison sentence of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on charges of stealing billions in assets from clients of the cryptocurrency exchange.
The US justice department had directed the Manhattan office to halt the prosecution of Adams, who was charged last year with accepting illegal foreign campaign contributions and doing official favours on behalf of the Turkish government.
Adams previously said, “I follow campaign rules and I follow the law.”
Jay Clayton, who led the US Securities and Exchange Commission during the first Trump administration, has been nominated to lead the Manhattan prosecutor’s office but has not yet been confirmed by the US Senate.
This is a developing story