Hagan Scotten, a federal prosecutor handling the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, resigned Friday, delivering a scathing letter to President Donald Trump's Justice Department leaders.
"Any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected official, in this way," Scotten wrote. "If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to me."
Why It Matters
Adams was indicted in September 2024 on federal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud, solicitation of contributions by a foreign national, and bribery. He was accused of accepting more than $100,000 in luxury gifts and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish officials and businesspeople in exchange for opening a consulate in New York without proper fire inspections. Adams denied all the allegations against him.
Scotten is a Harvard Law School graduate. He was awarded two bronze stars as a troop commander while serving in Iraq. He has also handled several high-profile corruption cases in New York, including against three associates of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and against Bishop Lamor Whitehead. Scotten was also previously a clerk for Chief Justice John Roberts.
What To Know
In his letter, Scotten said that the administration might consider dropping the charges in exchange for some form of advantage or leverage as a practical, though morally questionable, decision.
"There is a tradition in public service of resigning in a last-ditch effort to head off a serious mistake," Scotten wrote. "Some will view the mistake you are committing here in the light of their generally negative views of the new Administration."
Scotten added that he does not share the negative views and can "even understand how a Chief Executive whose background is in business and politics might see the contemplated dismissal-with-leverage as a good, if distasteful, deal."
Scotten became the seventh official to resign amid the controversial push to dismiss the case. The attorney had been placed on administrative leave Thursday after refusing to approve the dismissal.
Scotten's decision to resign follows Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon's resignation on Thursday. Sassoon left after refusing to dismiss the corruption case against Adams.
She had provided a two-sentence resignation letter without referencing Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove's directives.
In another email to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Sassoon had said Adams' attorneys had "repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with Department's enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed."
In his letter, Statton wrote that he received correspondence indicating he had refused Bove's order to move to dismiss the case against Adams without prejudice.
"That is not exactly correct," Statton said. "The US Attorney, Danielle R/ Sassoon, never asked me to file such a motion, and I therefore never had an opportunity to refuse. But I am entirely in agreement with her decision not to do so, for the reasons stated in her February 12, 2025 letter to the Attorney General."
DOJ Responds to Flood of Prosecutors Resigning Over Eric Adams Orders
In a statement shared by multiple media outlets on Friday, Department of Justice chief of staff Chad Mizelle called the "decision to dismiss" Adams' indictment "yet another indication that this DOJ will return to its core function of prosecuting dangerous criminals, not pursuing politically motivated witch hunts."
"The fact that those who indicted and prosecuted the case refused to follow a direct command is further proof of the disordered and ulterior motives of the prosecutors," Mizelle's statement reportedly said. "Such individuals have no place at DOJ."
Trump announced that Mizelle would serve as chief of staff at the Department of Justice on December 31. During the President's first term in office, Mizelle was a general counsel and the chief of staff to the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump has also nominated Mizelle's wife, Kathryn, as a district judge in Tampa.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Justice for comment.
What People Are Saying
Speechwriter Jon Favreau on Bluesky: "This guy got two Bronze stars in Iraq and clerked for Roberts before landing at SDNY."
Eric Columbus, a litigator for Representative Nancy Pelosi, on X: "This is an incredible resignation letter from SDNY prosecutor Hagan Scotten. It's the type of thing you show your kids as an example of how to be."
Ramez Naam, American technologist and science fiction writer, on Facebook: "In the current environment, I think it's vital to highlight stories of people showing integrity, across the political spectrum. The corruption prosecution of NY Mayor Eric Adams has multiple examples of that.
"The Trump admin has ordered the Southern District of New York to drop the bribery and corruption charges against Eric Adams, as part of a quid-pro-quo in which Adams would work to advance Trump's policy goals (kicking out immigrants). This is quite illegal.
What's Next
Barb McQuade, a former US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, wrote on X that the Department of Justice leadership "has put all Public Integrity Section lawyers into a room with 1 hour to decide who will dismiss Adams indictment or else all will be fired."
Update 02/14/25 1:46 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 02/14/25 6 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
About the writer
Monica is a Newsweek reporter based in Boston. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. Monica joined Newsweek in 2024. ... Read more