Federal prosecutors ditch jobs in a huff, refuse to admit wrongdoing in 'flawed' Eric Adams case



Three federal prosecutors with the Southern District of New York resigned in protest on Tuesday. Celia Cohen, Andrew Rohrbach, and Derek Wikstrom quit after accusing the Trump administration's Department of Justice of pressuring them to admit "wrongdoing" in the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), who pleaded not guilty.

The three prosecutors had been placed on administrative leave after Trump's DOJ requested the case's dismissal.

'Any suggestion to the contrary by anybody, especially former federal prosecutors, is wrong and disingenuous.'

According to an email obtained by the New York Times, the prosecutors claimed that DOJ Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that to be reinstated, they "must express regret and admit some wrongdoing by the office in connection with the refusal to move to dismiss the case."

They wrote, "We will not confess wrongdoing when there was none."

The prosecutors claimed that the DOJ under the Trump administration "has decided that obedience supersedes all else, requiring us to abdicate our legal and ethical obligations in favor of directions from Washington."

"There is no greater privilege than to work for an institution whose mandate is to do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons," the prosecutors continued. "We will not abandon this principle to keep our jobs."

"We resign," they declared.

Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the SDNY, took over the same day the prosecutors resigned.

Since Trump's DOJ pushed for the dismissal of the case against Adams in February, five SDNY prosecutors have resigned, including the lead prosecutor assigned to the case.

U.S. District Judge Dale Ho dropped the case with prejudice on April 2.

"To be clear, the Court again emphasizes that it does not express any opinion as to the merits of the case or whether the prosecution of Mayor Adams 'should' move forward," he wrote.

"The Court notes only that it has no authority to require that it continue," Ho continued. "Ultimately, because the decision to discontinue a prosecution belongs primarily to a political branch of government, it is the public's judgment, and not this Court's, that truly matters."

However, he claimed the DOJ's request to dismiss the case "smacks of a bargain" between Adams and the Trump administration. Both parties have denied the allegations.

Blanche stated that there "was nothing 'illegal' or 'unethical'" about the DOJ's decision to drop the "flawed" case.

"Any suggestion to the contrary by anybody, especially former federal prosecutors, is wrong and disingenuous," he contended.

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Trump's new lawyers move to appeal New York criminal conviction over 'misuse' of law



President Donald Trump secured a new legal team as he moves to appeal the New York criminal conviction where a jury found him guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Earlier this month, Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an "unconditional discharge," meaning the president would not face jail time, fines, or probation supervision. While the sentencing did not interfere with Trump's ability to return to the White House for his second term, it officially solidified his felony convictions and, in doing so, allowed the appeal process to begin.

'The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent.'

During his sentencing, Trump called the case a "setback for New York" and its court system.

"It was done to damage my reputation so I would lose the election, and obviously that didn't work," Trump stated.

"I got indicted over calling a legal expense a legal expense," he continued. "I just want to say I think it's an embarrassment to New York."

Trump's new legal team, led by Robert Giuffra with Sullivan & Cromwell, filed a notice to appeal on Tuesday, formally starting the process.

Giuffra and several other Sullivan & Cromwell attorneys — James McDonald, Morgan Ratner, Jeff Wall, and Matthew Schwartz — are expected to submit a legal brief in the coming months to make the case for an appeal of the convictions.

Trump was previously represented by attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove in the New York case that accused him of hiding hush-money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Since Trump's November presidential election victory, Bove has become the acting deputy attorney general for the Department of Justice. Trump nominated Blanche as deputy attorney general. He is currently awaiting confirmation.

Giuffra stated, "President Donald J. Trump's appeal is important for the rule of law, New York's reputation as a global business, financial, and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials."

"The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal," he continued.

The appeal will first be heard in New York's Appellate Division court and then move to the state's highest court, the State Court of Appeals in Albany.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will have an opportunity to respond to Trump's argument for the appeal.

Bragg's office did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

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Judge accuses Trump's DOJ picks of 'dangerous' and 'chilling' rhetoric in New York case



Judge Juan Merchan accused two of President-elect Donald Trump's picks for the Department of Justice of engaging in "dangerous" and "chilling" rhetoric in the New York criminal case.

Trump was represented by attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove in the case where he was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records.

'President Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead.'

In November, Trump nominated Blanche as his incoming deputy attorney general and Bove as his principal associate deputy attorney general.

Merchan issued a Friday ruling announcing that Trump would face sentencing on January 10, just days before his inauguration. The sentencing date was initially scheduled for last July but was repeatedly delayed due to the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity and Trump's November election victory.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office requested that the case be put on ice until after the completion of Trump's presidency.

Merchan stated in his Friday decision that sentencing Trump after his term would be "less desirable than imposing sentence prior to January 20, 2025."

"The reasons are obvious. However, if the Court is unable to impose sentence before Defendant takes his oath of office, then this may become the only viable option," Merchan wrote.

He indicated that Trump is unlikely to face jail time or other legal consequences in the case.

The judge accused the defense team of coming "dangerously close to crossing the line of zealous representation and the professional advocacy one would expect from members of the bar."

"Now, however, counsel has resorted to language, indeed rhetoric, that has no place in legal pleadings," he continued.

Merchan cited the defense's attempts to dismiss the case by accusing Bragg's prosecution and the court of "engaging in 'unlawful' and 'unconstitutional' conduct."

"Those words, by definition, mean 'criminally punishable,'" Merchan wrote.

He argued that such terms "have the potential to create a chilling effect on the Third Branch of government."

"Dangerous rhetoric is not a welcome form of argument and will have no impact on how the Court renders this or any other Decision," Merchan declared.

In response to Merchan's ruling, White House communications director nominee Steven Cheung stated, "Today's order by the deeply conflicted, Acting Justice Merchan in the Manhattan DA Witch Hunt is a direct violation of the Supreme Court's Immunity decision and other longstanding jurisprudence."

"This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed," Cheung continued. "President Trump must be allowed to continue the Presidential Transition process and to execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this or any remnants of the Witch Hunts. There should be no sentencing, and President Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead."

On Monday, Blanche and Bove responded to Merchan's ruling by requesting the court delay the January 10 sentencing date, Reuters reported.

According to a court filing, the defense team stated they plan to appeal the judge's decision to reject Trump's request to dismiss the case.

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Judge to consider tossing Trump's New York criminal charges



New York Judge Juan Merchan has once again decided to postpone sentencing in President-elect Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal case, in which he was found guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

On Friday, Merchan granted a request from Trump's attorney to file a motion to dismiss the case, further pushing back the potential sentencing date, originally slated for July.

Merchan will 'seriously entertain throwing the whole case out.'

Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, sent a letter to Merchan on Wednesday requesting to file a motion to dismiss the case.

Blanche called Trump's election win "a mandate that supersedes the political motivations of DANY's 'People,'" referring to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

"This case must be immediately dismissed," he demanded.

Blanche argued that the potential continuation of the case would be "uniquely destabilizing" for the country.

Earlier this week, Bragg agreed with the defense's request to stay the case but noted that he would oppose a motion to dismiss.

Merchan declared that the motion for dismissal and the prosecution's response are due in early December.

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump and the incoming White House communication director, told Fox News Digital that the judge's latest announcement marked a "decisive win" for the president-elect.

"In a decisive win for President Trump, the hoax Manhattan case is now fully stayed and sentencing is adjourned," Cheung told the news outlet. "President Trump won a landslide victory, as the American people have issued a mandate to return him to office and dispose of all remnants of the Witch Hunt cases."

"All of the sham lawfare attacks against President Trump are now destroyed, and we are focused on Making America Great Again," he declared.

In response to Merchan's agreement to consider Blanche's request for dismissal, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk wrote on X, "The legal assault against President Trump is dying a slow, painful, and embarrassing death."

Senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano told Newsmax that Merchan's move indicated that he will "seriously entertain throwing the whole case out."

Napolitano explained that Merchan may toss the convictions based on two potential reasons: "Either because some of the evidence that he permitted the jury to hear was immunized by the [United States] Supreme Court after the case came down … or because Donald Trump is about to become president of the United States and he shouldn't have this interfering with his administration of the executive branch of the federal government."

He predicted that the courtroom "will be absolutely packed" when Merchan holds the oral argument for dismissal.

Napolitano noted that under New York State law, Trump is not convicted unless the sentencing is completed.

The other three criminal cases against Trump are also falling apart. Special counsel Jack Smith, who has led the two federal indictments against the president-elect, has requested the cancellation of related deadlines and is reportedly planning to wrap up his involvement and step down ahead of Inauguration Day. The Georgia case, a state-level indictment, remains on hold and likely far away from a trial date.

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Trump Appoints His Defense Attorneys To Key DOJ Positions

Blanche will oversee the department’s daily operations

Blaze News original: Trump's paths for appealing New York conviction amid Democrats' 'republic-ending lawfare'



Last month, a Manhattan jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. But Trump's attorneys have "several paths for appeal," legal experts told Blaze News.

Following the guilty verdict in late May, Trump's legal team immediately announced its plan to challenge the ruling and expressed confidence that it would be successfully overturned.

"This was a verdict that we were expecting. We're going to appeal, and we're going to win on appeal," Todd Blanche, Trump's attorney, told the "Today" show after the jury's verdict was revealed. "The goal is to appeal quickly and hopefully be vindicated quickly."

Blanche noted that they did not anticipate that Trump would "get a fair shake in Manhattan."

"Every single person on the jury knew Donald Trump as president, as candidate, from 'The Apprentice,' so I don't accept that this was a fair place to try President Trump," he said in an interview with CNN. "The law doesn't say, 'But if you can't avoid it, tough luck.' That's not what the law says. The law says a person is entitled to a fair trial in front of a jury of their peers, and we just think that because of everything around the lead of this trial, it made it very difficult for the jury to evaluate the evidence kind of independent of what they knew coming in."

Grounds for appeal

Mike Davis, founder and president of Article III Project, told Blaze News that "Trump has several paths for appeal," including filing a substantive appeal on the merits of the case and an emergency relief from the judgment.

"The immediate focus should be getting a stay of the execution of the judgment," Davis explained, noting that Trump has "a very good chance" of securing an emergency petition and having his conviction reversed on appeal.

"The emergency petition can move very fast. That can happen before Trump actually goes to prison or is otherwise confined," he continued. "The appeal on the merits takes many, many months."

Trump and his attorneys have argued that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case against the former president was "rigged," pointing to the assignments of acting Justice Juan Merchan and one of Bragg's lead prosecutors, Matthew Colangelo.

In a post on Truth Social ahead of the jury's verdict, Trump called the case a "highly political, unconstitutional, and election interfering witch hunt."

Merchan's daughter, Loren, is the president of a Chicago-based progressive political consulting firm. Two of the company's Democratic clients have raised at least $93 million in campaign donations, according to a report from the New York Post. The clients' solicitation emails mentioned the New York case against Trump, leading the former president's legal team to argue that Judge Merchan has a conflict of interest with his daughter profiting from the case.

Trump's campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, has called Merchan "highly conflicted."

'Unprecedented republic-ending lawfare and election interference.'

Merchan was also slated to preside over a criminal fraud trial against Trump's former presidential adviser Steve Bannon. CNN recently reported that a different judge will be assigned to the case because of a scheduling conflict.

Criminal defense attorney David W. Fischer told Blaze News, "Trump's most salient issue on appeal is whether the outside invoices from Michael Cohen and other sources constitute 'business records' under New York law." Fischer previously explained that it is one of the most straightforward strategies for dismissing the case, and he now believes it is the best approach for appeal.

"To falsify a record means to take an existing record and change it in a way that changes the character of the record," Fischer stated. "It is not the addition of a false record into a business."

"The second strongest issue is that the jury was allowed to convict without being unanimous as to which federal crime they believed Trump committed," Fischer told Blaze News.

As part of Merchan's jury instructions, he told the panel that they did not need to be unanimous on "whether the defendant committed the crime personally, or acted in concert with another, or both." Additionally, the jurors were told they did not have to all agree about the "unlawful" means, which could have included violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, falsification of other business records, or violations of tax laws.

Merchan told the jury, "You need not be unanimous as to what those unlawful means were ... you may consider: violations of FECA, falsification of other business records, violation of tax laws."

Fischer told Blaze News that the appeals process in the New York case "will not be resolved until well into 2025."

Trump referred to Colangelo, a leading prosecutor in the New York criminal trial, as a "top Democrat DOJ official," pointing to his former senior role in the Biden administration's Department of Justice. During his previous employment at the New York attorney general's office, Colangelo oversaw a lawsuit in 2018 that led to the closure of Trump's charitable organization. He was also involved in an investigation into the Trump Organization.

Colangelo's move from the top-ranking DOJ position to Bragg's team in 2022 was effectively a demotion, raising concerns that the transition was politically motivated. His former position with the DOJ has sparked allegations that the Biden administration was behind Trump's prosecution in New York.

A letter from the Biden administration Department of Justice obtained by the Associated Press contended that the department had nothing to do with Bragg's case.

Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote, "The District Attorney's office is a separate entity from the Department. The Department does not supervise the work of the District Attorney's office, does not approve its charging decisions, and does not try its cases."

"The Department has no control over the District Attorney, just as the District Attorney has no control over the Department," Uriarte added.

The House Judiciary Committee launched an investigation into Colangelo's appointment. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) demanded "documents and communication" related to Colangelo and his "hiring, employment, and termination" at the DOJ.

Bragg and Colangelo will testify before the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on July 12, a day after Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in the New York criminal case, in which he faces up to four years in prison. Jordan has argued that Colangelo's appointment to Bragg's team has "given the perception that the Justice Department is assisting in" the "politicized prosecution" of Trump.

Bragg's office accused the committee of spreading false information.

"It undermines the rule of law to spread dangerous misinformation, baseless claims, and conspiracy theories following the jury's return of a full-count felony conviction in People v. Trump," a spokesperson from Bragg's office stated. "Nonetheless, we respect our government institutions and plan to appear voluntarily before the subcommittee after sentencing."

The prosecution's star witness in the case, Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, leading up to the trial, used his platform on social media to criticize Trump and his presidential campaign and promote the sale of T-shirts bearing an illustrated image of Trump behind bars. During his testimony, Cohen admitted to earning roughly $4.4 million since he began writing books and making podcast appearances disparaging Trump. Cohen also admitted to repeatedly lying and even stealing money from the Trump Organization.

Porn actress Stormy Daniels, another lead witness in the case, also made a profit from the scandal, claiming she had an affair with Trump decades ago. Daniels signed a book deal and also profited from a strip club tour dubbed "Make America Horny Again," which she testified that she did not name.

Merchan placed a gag order against Trump, preventing him from speaking publicly about anyone involved in the case or their family members, with the exception of the judge and DA Bragg.

Next steps for Trump

Davis told Blaze News, "Trump should absolutely file a civil lawsuit against all of these Biden Democrat prosecutors who are engaging in this unprecedented republic-ending lawfare and election interference against Trump. And state attorneys general, like in Florida, in Georgia, and elsewhere, should open criminal probes — so should the Maricopa County Attorney in Arizona. Congress should assume more aggressive oversight. And when Trump is back in office, his Justice Department on day one should open civil rights and other criminal investigations on this republic-ending lawfare by Biden and his aides and allies."

Will Scharf, Trump's attorney, stated last month that the former president's legal team is "considering all options" to appeal the conviction.

'A weak legal case but a strong public relations move.'

Scharf told Fox News, "This case is replete with reversible error going back to the very first day, continuing through jury instructions. Every aspect of this case is ripe for appeal. We are going to appeal as quickly as we can. We will seek expedited review of this case."

"All options are on the table," he continued. "And we are actively considering all options that could lead to justice for President Trump here, because justice has not been done in this New York courtroom today."

Scharf stated that Trump's legal team is considering filing a lawsuit against Bragg for "malicious prosecution," noting that he believes the case "is extraordinarily strong."

"This is not a case that would have been brought against any defendant not named Donald Trump and any defendant who frankly wasn't running for president," Scharf told Fox News.

Fischer told Blaze News that the potential "lawsuit against Alvin Bragg would be a weak legal case but a strong public relations move for candidate Trump."

Ahead of the Thursday evening CNN Presidential Debate, Judge Merchan partially lifted the restrictive gag order against Trump, allowing him to publicly discuss the witnesses, including Cohen and Daniels. The gag order still prevents Trump from speaking about Bragg's team, Merchan's daughter, or others involved in the case.

During the debate, Trump claimed that the New York case against him was President Joe Biden's way of attacking his political opponent.

"[Biden] basically went after his political opponent because he thought it was going to damage me," Trump stated, adding that his campaign has never generated more contributions than it did after the jury's guilty verdict. "That case is going to be appealed and won."

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