Pam Bondi's Order to Dismiss Eric Adams' Indictment Has Triggered 3 Times More Legal Resignations Than the Watergate Scandal

The Justice Department's decision to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams has prompted a wave of resignations that now triples the 1973 "Saturday Night Massacre," in which President Richard Nixon's Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General resigned over the dismissal of special prosecutor Archibald Cox that took place in the United States Department of Justice during the infamous Watergate scandal.

"The number of resignations today in protest of DoJ's order to dismiss the Adams case is now triple the number that occurred during the 1973 Saturday Night Massacre," said NBC News Justice and Intelligence Correspondent, quoting his colleague Ryan J. Reilly. "There is shock and dismay across the legal community, regardless of partisan allegiance."

Six senior Justice Department officials, including Manhattan's top federal prosecutor, have resigned so far choosing to do so rather than comply with the order by The Justice Department.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, who had been temporarily leading the prosecution of Adams, was among those who stepped down. In her resignation letter, Sassoon stated that dismissing the charges in return for Adams' assistance on immigration policy would be "improper."

Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, a former personal criminal defense lawyer for President Donald Trump, had issued the order for dismissal on Monday, citing concerns that the case against Adams amounted to "weaponization" of the justice system. Bove's memo to Sassoon emphasized that her office had no authority to challenge this determination and warned that the Justice Department would not tolerate "insubordination."

In addition to Sassoon, John Keller, the acting head of the Justice Department's public corruption unit, also resigned. Kevin Driscoll, a senior official in the criminal division, along with three deputies—Rob Heberle, Jenn Clarke, and Marco Palmieri—followed suit.

The order to dismiss Adams' case, which stems from accusations that charges that he accepted bribes from Turkish officials, has sparked concerns about political interference in the traditionally independent U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY).

Besides the comparison to the "Saturday Night Massacre," legal experts quoted by Reuters have also drawn comparisons to past instances of executive overreach, such as the firing of FBI Director James Comey during Trump's first term.