SDNY SAYS NO TO ADAMS QUID PRO QUO

The DOJ is no longer about justice or the rule of law. And, despite my warnings, it is once again being used as a blunt instrument to crush the President's enemies while protecting his allies.

I know firsthand what it’s like to be on the receiving end of President Donald Trump’s weaponized DOJ. This latest move—ordering the Southern District of New York (SDNY) to drop its federal case against Mayor Eric Adams—is just another example of Trump’s fulfillment of a campaign promise in full display. Under President Trump, the DOJ is no longer about justice. It’s a blunt instrument used to crush his critics and shield his allies.

The fallout from this latest abuse was swift. Acting US Attorney for the SDNY, Danielle Sassoon, had the courage to resign rather than be complicit in this perversion of justice. Unlike Sassoon, others have chosen to stay silent, further enabling Trump’s edict to be honored; protect our allies and crush our critics. Her resignation, however, should be a wake-up call: the DOJ under this administration no longer functions as an independent agency—it’s a personal legal team for the most controversial president in American history.

Let me be clear...this is not new. I was the test case. In 2018, I pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations tied to hush-money payments I made at Trump’s direction. But what most people don’t know is the coercive tactics SDNY prosecutors used to force my plea. I was given just 48 hours—from 5:30 p.m. on a Friday evening to 9:00 a.m. on Monday—to either accept whatever SDNY prosecutors Tom McKay and Nicholas Roos demanded or face an 80-page indictment that would include my wife. That type of threat and pressure is unacceptable, as stated by Federal Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff in his book Why the Innocent Plead Guilty and the Guilty Go Free. Instead of seeking true justice, these prosecutors use high-profile case convictions, like mine, to advance their careers, securing lucrative positions at white-glove firms where they make millions of dollars. On point, then-Attorney General Bill Barr interfered, just as AG Bondi has done now. Geoffrey Berman, the former head of SDNY, later admitted in his book Holding the Line that he was contacted several times and pressured to erase all references to Trump from my case. Instead of reporting this improper act, and despite having recused himself from the case, Berman elected to remain silent; like a coward. Silent until a book deal was offered after his termination by Trump and Barr.

I have said it before and I’ll say it again: my prosecution was political. The message is clear, or should be to all: if you cross Trump, you get prosecuted. If you protect him, you get rewarded.

This is not just about me, and it’s not just about Mayor Adams. Trump has successfully managed to systematically reshape the DOJ to serve his personal interests. Prosecutors know that investigating him or his allies means career destruction. Meanwhile, those who protect him are given top positions and total authority to bend the law in his favor.

This is why his criminal associates, from Paul Manafort to Roger Stone, were pardoned, while critics like me were made examples of. And not once but twice. Recall that I was unconstitutionally remanded in 2020 back to prison for failing to waive my first amendment constitutional right. In total, I spent 51 days of solitary confinement. As Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein wrote in his Order Granting Preliminary Injunction, “The Court finds that Respondents’ (Bill Barr) purpose in transferring Cohen …back to prison was retaliatory in response to Cohen desiring to exercise his First Amendment rights to publish a book critical of the President (Trump) and to discuss the book on social media.” The DOJ under Trump isn’t about justice. It’s about loyalty to him and him alone.

Let’s be clear: Trump didn’t do this alone. Senate Republicans confirmed Pam Bondi as Attorney General despite her deep conflicts of interest as raised by Democrats at the confirmation hearings. Republicans knew she was compromised, but they installed her anyway because of her unconditional loyalty to Trump.

By confirming Bondi, Senate Republicans helped destroy the independence of the DOJ. They enabled the selective prosecution of Trump’s enemies and the blanket protection of his friends. They have allowed our legal system to become a farce, where the law is no longer applied equally. They are as complicit in this malfeasance and hopefully the American people will see this for what it is and remember this at the ballot box in 2026.

Another point that must not be overlooked is the strength demonstrated by US Attorney Sassoon in her refusal to comply. Career prosecutors who go along with these type directives—who twist the law to protect the President and punish his enemies—are just as guilty. Maybe even more so and should not be allowed to hide behind the cloak of prosecutorial immunity.

We have seen time and time again how prosecutors enable corruption and then walk away without consequence. Those who manipulated my case, who allowed Barr to interfere in SDNY investigations, are still working in the legal system today. Despite the passage of time, they too should be held accountable for their action; just like anyone else who abuses their position.

If we have learned anything, it is that the DOJ needs safeguards against political interference. Prosecutors like Sassoon must be protected, and prosecutors who abuse their positions to shield Trump or others should be removed from office and held criminally responsible.

I have paid a heavy, heavy price for standing up to Trump. But I refuse to stay silent; not while I listen to Mayor Adams make the false claim that he is a victim of the weaponization of the Biden DOJ. He is not; he is the beneficiary of the weaponization of the Trump DOJ.

If we allow this corruption to go unchallenged, then the very foundation of our democracy will crumble. The time for accountability is now!