Former Watergate Prosecutor Urges Judge to Appoint Special Counsel in NYC Mayor’s Case
ference at City Hall, Feb. 5, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
NEW YORK (AP) – A former Watergate prosecutor has called on a federal judge overseeing the case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams to appoint a special counsel to review the Justice Department’s controversial request to drop charges.
Attorney Nathaniel Akerman, representing the nonpartisan advocacy group Common Cause, submitted a letter Monday to Judge Dale E. Ho in Manhattan federal court, arguing that no one was currently representing the public’s interest in the case. Akerman urged the judge to deny the Justice Department’s dismissal request and consider summoning Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove—who directed the charges be dropped—to explain his decision in court.
Akerman also suggested that a special prosecutor may ultimately be necessary to ensure transparency and accountability.
Meanwhile, three former U.S. attorneys—John S. Martin Jr., Robert J. Cleary, and Deirdre M. Daly—submitted a separate filing urging a “searching factual inquiry” into the Justice Department’s motives. They cautioned that the case had broader implications beyond an internal prosecutorial dispute, raising concerns about the rule of law and the balance of power between the Executive and Judicial branches.
“The public furor that has arisen during the past week raises concerns about respect for the rule of law and the division of power between the Executive and Judicial Branches of government in our nation,” the former prosecutors wrote.
They advised Judge Ho to investigate whether the Justice Department’s request was pretextual and, if warranted, to consider appointing a special prosecutor or sharing grand jury evidence with state and local prosecutors.
The case has ignited controversy following reports that Adams, while Brooklyn borough president, allegedly accepted over $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions and lavish perks from Turkish officials seeking influence. Adams has pleaded not guilty.
Tensions escalated last week when interim Manhattan U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon and lead prosecutor Hagan Scotten resigned in protest after refusing to comply with Bove’s order to drop the case. A total of six high-ranking Justice Department officials have stepped down in response.
In his resignation letter, Scotten warned against any effort to use criminal charges as leverage for political concessions.
“No system of ordered liberty can allow the Government to use the carrot of dismissing charges, or the stick of threatening to bring them again, to induce an elected official to support its policy objectives,” he wrote.
Amid growing calls for his resignation, Adams confirmed Monday that four of his top deputies had stepped down following the Justice Department’s move to end the corruption case and secure his cooperation with President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Akerman’s letter echoed Sassoon’s claim that the Justice Department had agreed to a “quid pro quo” in which Adams would assist with immigration enforcement in exchange for having the charges dismissed.
“The overwhelming evidence from DOJ’s own internal documents shows that the dismissal of the Adams indictment is not in the public interest and is part of a corrupt quid pro quo between Mayor Adams and the Trump administration,” Akerman wrote.
Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, has dismissed the allegations as a “total lie.”
When ordering the dismissal, Bove argued that Adams’ leadership was critical to aiding Trump’s immigration crackdown and that removing legal obstacles could allow him to campaign for reelection unencumbered.
The controversy continues to unfold as federal prosecutors, former officials, and legal experts weigh in on the unprecedented legal and political implications of the case.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.