Will an Ambitious Prosecutor Do Trump’s Bidding and Drop Adams Case?

Danielle R. Sassoon swiftly ascended through the ranks of the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office, having worked on high-stakes cases involving violent crime and securities fraud, as well as handling appeals. At 38, she was appointed as the office’s interim head.

However, only weeks into her leadership of the country’s premier federal prosecutor’s office, she was confronted with a significant challenge that threatened to derail her rapid rise: the Trump administration’s request to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.https://svtoday.org/

With her deep experience and staunch conservative background as a Federalist Society member, Sassoon appeared well-positioned to lead an office that had weathered turmoil during Trump’s first term, including the dismissal of two U.S. attorneys. Recently, observers have been closely watching her response to the Justice Department’s demand to drop the Adams case, which Sassoon had previously supported in a court filing.

Sassoon has long been accustomed to standing firm in her beliefs before skeptical audiences. Now, she must balance the desire for independence within her office with an administration’s explicit political directive to halt the Adams prosecution.

Through a spokesperson, Sassoon declined to comment on this matter.

Before the Adams case thrust her into the limelight, Sassoon’s life had already been defined by a series of notable achievements in environments where excellence is the norm. Raised in New York City, she attended the prestigious Ramaz School, where she graduated at the top of her class and earned accolades for academic achievement. In high school, she dedicated countless hours to studying the Talmud, a pursuit she credits with shaping her approach to studying law.

Rebecca Kaden, a close friend who met Sassoon before their freshman year at Harvard, recalled that it was always clear that Sassoon was destined for a legal career. “She was incredibly intellectual, eager to engage in thoughtful discussions and debates,” Kaden said.

At Harvard, Sassoon wrote columns for the student newspaper on Middle East politics and contributed to a friend’s magazine. In one of her classes, “Justice,” taught by renowned professor Michael J. Sandel, Sassoon boldly delivered a speech against race-based affirmative action, arguing that it may inadvertently perpetuate racial divisions instead of fostering a society where race no longer matters.

Her opinion, though controversial, went unacknowledged by applause, yet it marked her willingness to voice unpopular views.

While Sassoon was candid with her peers, she was more reserved with faculty mentors. A family friend introduced her to law professor Alan Dershowitz, who soon hired her as a research assistant. Dershowitz described her as someone who understood “all sides of all arguments” but noted that she was also “diffident, reserved,” and “shy.”

“She would politely and gently challenge you,” he recalled, adding, “She was always focused on public service.”

After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard in 2008, Sassoon attended Yale Law School, known for its emphasis on public interest law. After earning her law degree in 2011, she clerked for two conservative judges, starting with J. Harvie Wilkinson III on the Fourth Circuit, who praised her sharp intellect and versatility. He emphasized her integrity but refrained from commenting on her decisions in the Adams case.

Sassoon’s next clerkship was with Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court, a major figure in the conservative legal movement. In an essay following Scalia’s death in 2016, Sassoon wrote that he “was my kind of feminist,” noting how he pushed her to be rigorous in her work, taught her how to handle firearms, and instilled in her the resilience needed for a career in a male-dominated field.

After Scalia’s passing, Sassoon, a registered Republican, began her career as a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office, where neutrality in politics is highly valued. Hired under Barack Obama appointee Preet Bharara, she quickly moved through the general crimes and narcotics units before focusing on violent crime and securities fraud. She successfully prosecuted eight trials, including two murder cases.

Her most notable case was the fraud prosecution of Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. Sassoon’s cross-examination of Bankman-Fried, which lasted four hours, left a lasting impact, drawing praise from columnist Joe Nocera, who remarked that Bankman-Fried was “a dead man walking.” He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

In 2023, Sassoon was promoted to co-chief of the criminal appeals unit, a role that likely involved reviewing the legal aspects of some of the office’s most high-profile cases, including the investigation into Mayor Adams. She held this position when the Trump administration appointed her as interim U.S. attorney last month. Though her tenure was expected to be short-term—she is due to have a baby in mid-March—her leadership has been hands-on. She has attended office events and recently observed the sentencing of former Senator Robert Menendez, who was convicted of corruption charges.

Shortly after being named interim U.S. attorney, Sassoon became involved in the ongoing case against Mayor Adams. On January 31, she flew to Washington, D.C., for an in-person meeting with the Justice Department regarding the potential dismissal of charges. Despite the pressure, she appeared unfazed, hosting a birthday party for her daughter just days after the meeting.

This week, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove III ordered Sassoon to dismiss the charges against Adams, instructing that it be done “as soon as is practicable.” While Sassoon cannot unilaterally drop the charges, she or a prosecutor from her office would need to request the judge overseeing the case to dismiss them. This directive has sparked internal discussions within the office on how Sassoon will proceed.

In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, Sassoon criticized President Biden for commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 nonviolent offenders without consulting the relevant prosecutors or judges. She argued that such decisions disregarded the careful work of those involved in the cases.

“At this time of transition,” Sassoon wrote, “I look forward to ensuring that prosecutors can resume their noble work, unimpeded, and in service of the public.”