President Donald Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, appeared on Fox News with Eric Adams on Friday morning in a lighthearted yet pointed exchange. As the pair and the hosts laughed, Homan made it clear that the deal struck with the New York City mayor comes with specific obligations for Adams. After Homan’s remarks aired, some critics argued that his comments suggest an explicit — and potentially unlawful — quid pro quo.
“If he doesn’t come through,” Homan chortled — but in what some viewed as a clear on-camera warning — “I’ll be back in New York City. And we won’t just be sitting on the couch. I’ll be in his office, up his butt, demanding, ‘Where the hell is the agreement we made?’”
Many across the nation were stunned this week when a senior U.S. Department of Justice official ordered the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, to drop all federal corruption charges against Mayor Adams. The shock continued when an eight-page letter that Sassoon — a Trump appointee — had written, was released. It explained in detail what appears to be a rock-solid case against Adams, how it would be a violation of her oath not to continue the prosecution, and that the government “does not have a valid basis to seek dismissal.” It also exposed a possibly unlawful deal the feds made with the mayor.
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Sassoon alleged a “quid pro quo” in her letter, addressed to newly sworn-in Trump Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“Rather than be rewarded, Adams’s advocacy should be called out for what it is: an improper offer of immigration enforcement assistance in exchange for a dismissal of his case. Although Mr. Bove disclaimed any intention to exchange leniency in this case for Adams’s assistance in enforcing federal law, that is the nature of the bargain laid bare in Mr. Bove’s memo. That is especially so given Mr. Bove’s comparison to the Bout prisoner exchange, which was quite expressly a quid pro quo, but one carried out by the White House, and not the prosecutors in charge of Bout’s case.
Sassoon resigned rather than drop the charges, CNN reported, and five other top officials quickly followed her, resigning in protest.
Some have called it the “Thursday Night Massacre,” a reference to the Watergate-era when, in 1973, President Richard Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox. In what was called the “Saturday Night Massacre,” Richardson resigned rather than fire Cox. Nixon then ordered Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to fire Cox. He also refused, and resigned.
But in this “Thursday Night Massacre,” three times as many top officials resigned, exposing the deep distaste for what some deem corruption.
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Acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove “directed prosecutors to drop the case ‘as soon as is practicable’ in a two-page memo Monday,” CNN reported. “His memo cited the fact that the prosecution ‘unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime’ – making clear the political motivations behind the decision.”
Homan’s and Adams’ appearance on Fox News’ usually upbeat “Fox & Friends” show Friday morning did not appear to help the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Justice, Homan, or Adams.
“This is just sheer brazen criminality by DOJ,” declared former federal and state prosecutor Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch News. “Adams gets federal corruption charges dropped not because there isn’t overwhelming evidence, but because he agrees to help Homan round up migrants. And Homan says the charges will be refiled if Adams doesn’t ‘come through.'”
Politico’s Emily Ngo, who posted video of the exchange between Homan and Adams (below,) wrote, “Thinly veiled Homan warning to Adams.” Veteran journalist John Harwood responded, “not veiled at all.”
“Nice of Trump’s border czar to confirm on TV the quid-pro-quo that Trump’s DOJ said this week did not exist,” noted HuffPost reporter Arthur Delaney.
“This is insane,” declared journalist Séamus Malekafzali. “They’re just out in the open saying this was a quid pro quo where the Mayor of New York has to do everything Trump says on immigration or he is going to jail.”
“Nothing like a quasi-hostage video on live television,” noted politics reporter Jake Lahut, a contributor to Wired and The Columbia Journalism Review.
Watch the video below or at this link.