Barbara McQuaid
Appearances
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
I think if they had focused on the case itself, perhaps the merits of the case, that would be appropriate. But that's not what they did. What they did here was to say that we think that defending himself in this case will make it more difficult for Mayor Adams to advance the president's policy priorities of violent crime and immigration. And for that reason, we want to dismiss this case.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
That, to me, is highly inappropriate because that is allowing partisan politics to intrude upon the rule of law. Prosecutors follow what are known as the principles of federal prosecution, and they're supposed to follow cases based on the facts and the law and not the policy priorities of any president.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
Well, Emil Bove, who is the acting deputy attorney general, that is the second in command at the Department of Justice, sent a letter to the U.S. attorney there. She was the interim U.S. attorney placed by the Trump administration named Danielle Sassoon. And in that letter, he directed her to dismiss the indictment against Eric Adams, although to do so without prejudice.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
And the reasons he stated were, number one, that it appeared that the case was brought for political reasons. And number two, he thought that the case would interfere with Mayor Adams' ability to enforce the law against violent crime and immigration. And it was the response from Danielle Sassoon publicly, I think, that put this issue on everyone's radar screen. She said, I'm not going to do it.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
I'll resign before I do it. But she was appealing to his boss, the Attorney General Pam Bondi to say, I hope you'll reconsider because this appears to me to be an illegal quid pro quo, a this for that, that is prohibited under federal bribery statutes that says, if you give me something, I will use my office to give you something.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
And so she said, based on the meeting she had had with Emil Bove and the lawyers for Eric Adams, that it appeared to be that they were agreeing to dismiss this case so that he would be a cooperative partner in exercising his role as mayor of New York. And it was that to which Danielle Sassoon objected. And then I also want to mention the significance of the without prejudice.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
So cases can be dismissed with or without prejudice. That means with prejudice, the case may not be brought again. Without prejudice means it can be resuscitated at any time and brought again. And so one of the things she noted was that the without prejudice nature of this case is what really raised suspicions, because if you think this case shouldn't be brought, then dismiss it altogether.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
It appeared that this without prejudice was there to keep leverage over Eric Adams so that they could maintain control over him. And in fact, if you saw the interview he did. Eric Adams with Tom Holman, President Trump's border czar on Fox and Friends. It was pretty clear that's exactly what it was.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
Yeah, it's a really difficult dilemma. It's certainly a tradition, I suppose, in public service, in the military, and in the government. And I suppose it's an effort to respect the chain of command. If your supervisor gives you an order that you find illegal, unethical, or immoral, that your obligation is to resign rather than to implement it.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
But I hear you, because if all the good people resign, that means the people who will replace them are likely people who are willing to go to bat for Donald Trump and carry out his orders regardless of whether they satisfy the rule of law.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
I think it tells us that we're in a very different place than we were in the first administration when we had, you know, Jeff Sessions, very aggressive on immigration enforcement, but certainly not lawless, recused himself because of his involvement in his public statements about Russia.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
William Barr, a little, maybe an intermediate step when he stood up and asserted his authority to dismiss the case against Michael Flynn.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
and directed the filing of a new sentencing memo seeking a lower sentence for Roger Stone. Those struck me as inappropriate, but not unlawful. And now we've got a completely different tenor at the Department of Justice with what we are seeing.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
You know, the through line in Pam Bondi's memos to the lawyers in the Department of Justice and Donald Trump's executive orders all have this line about implementing the president's agenda faithfully. And it's an interesting choice of words because, of course, what the president's duty is under the Constitution is to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. And so that's a little different.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
It seems to me that he is trying to change the mission of the department from the rule of law to the rule of Trump.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
I don't know. Certainly many presidents enjoy sort of a honeymoon period where— members of Congress allow him to begin his term with the ability to bring his own people on board. But I am hopeful that at some point constituents are going to let their members of Congress know that this is not acceptable.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
We're already starting to see, you know, town halls across the country where citizens are telling their members of Congress they're not satisfied with what's happening and wanting them to stand up.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
So I think ultimately members of Congress care most about maintaining their seats in Congress. And, you know, shamefully, I think they are afraid of a primary contender. Elon Musk has threatened to support primary contenders. challengers to people who don't go along with Donald Trump's agenda. And I think that concerns them.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
But if their voters indicate that they are unhappy with what they are seeing, I think that members of Congress have a duty to listen to them. And I think some, maybe many of them will.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
Well, I don't know, but recall that Donald Trump has famously said, he said it in his book, The Art of the Deal, that when people cross me, I hit them back, I counterpunch times 10, because it's important to send a message to everybody else that you don't mess with me.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
And so I imagine that when we see people who are refusing to cooperate with President Trump's immigration agenda or other policy agendas, we could see other directives. If he's willing to dismiss a case in exchange for cooperation, might he also be willing to bring a case against someone who is not? Now, we haven't crossed that road yet.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
But if you look at what's happening out of the District of Columbia with the U.S.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
attorney there sending out letters to Chuck Schumer and Congressman Robert Garcia in New York who have said things in opposition to President Trump and conservative justices on the Supreme Court, that seems to be an effort to perhaps chill free speech or intimidate them by introducing the concept of criminal charges against people who speak out politically.
Today, Explained
Quid pro bros
I think the expectation at that time was what President Obama had done, which was to allow U.S. attorneys to stay until their successors were identified. And that was sort of what the expectation would be with President Trump. But one day, quite abruptly, he told all of us to go.