In a significant reshuffling of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the last of the Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys have resigned or been dismissed, marking a complete turnover in federal prosecutorial leadership under the new administration.
Denise Cheung, the head of the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., resigned after refusing to carry out a directive from leadership.
According to The New York Times, Cheung sent an email to her colleagues on Tuesday notifying them of her decision.
“When I started as an AUSA, I took an oath of office to support and defend the Constitution, and I have executed this duty faithfully during my tenure, which has spanned through numerous Administrations,” Cheung wrote in an email, according to CNN. “I know that all of the AUSAs in the office continue to honor their oaths on a daily basis, just as I know that you have always conducted yourself with the utmost integrity.”
The New Republic reported that Cheung quit over a Biden-related investigation:
“Denise Cheung said that she was ordered to investigate a government contract awarded under the Biden administration, and to begin the process to freeze the recipient’s assets… Cheung was in charge of the criminal division within the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and her resignation comes one day after Trump nominated Martin as the permanent head of the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Trump had nominated Ed Martin, who had been serving as interim U.S. attorney, to officially lead the office on Monday. Cheung’s resignation is not an isolated incident. Earlier in February, seven DOJ officials resigned after receiving instructions to dismiss charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Danielle Sassoon was the first to resign over the directive, writing:
“Dismissing the indictment would be inconsistent with my ability and duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor and to advance good-faith arguments before the courts.”
Deputy AG’s Letter to Sassoon
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove issued a strong rebuke to Sassoon following her resignation over the Adams case. In an eight-page letter, Bove wrote:
“The DOJ would ‘not tolerate the insubordination and apparent misconduct reflected in the approach’ acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon and her office took in handling the issue.”
He further criticized Sassoon, stating:
“You lost sight of the oath that you took when you started at the Department of Justice by suggesting that you retain discretion to interpret the Constitution in a manner inconsistent with the policies of a democratically elected President and a Senate-confirmed Attorney General.”
Sassoon, in her resignation letter, had expressed deep concerns about the decision to dismiss the case, writing:
“I remain baffled by the rushed and superficial process by which this decision was reached, in seeming collaboration with Adams’s counsel and without my direct input on the ultimate stated rationales for dismissal.”
Bove, in his response, accused the prosecution team of “questionable behavior” and suggested that the timing of the charges during Adams’ 2025 campaign was problematic. He also asserted that the prosecution was interfering with Adams’ ability to cooperate on illegal immigration enforcement, potentially endangering “millions of New Yorkers.”
“It is not for local federal officials such as yourself, who lack access to all relevant information, to question these judgments within the Justice Department’s chain of command,” Bove stated.
Adams Indictment and DOJ Ethics Concerns
Adams was indicted in September on bribery, campaign finance, and fraud charges for allegedly accepting lavish benefits from Turkey. Although Bove suggested that a new indictment could be brought in the future, Sassoon raised ethical concerns about using potential legal action as leverage against Adams’ cooperation with immigration enforcement.
Sassoon’s office had proposed a superseding indictment, which included an obstruction charge based on evidence that Adams allegedly destroyed documents and provided false information to the FBI.
The former Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, had resigned in November. Sassoon was temporarily appointed in January while Trump’s nominee, former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton, awaits confirmation.
Sassoon was among six officials who resigned on Thursday in protest of the DOJ’s decision to dismiss the case, according to Reuters.
Mass Resignations and DOJ Fractures
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten was another prosecutor to resign over the matter, stating in his resignation letter:
“Any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way.”
In a pointed message to Bove, Scotten added:
“If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.”
Despite the widespread opposition, Bove managed to find one attorney, career prosecutor Ed Sullivan, who agreed to file the motion to dismiss charges on Friday. According to Reuters, Bove gave nearly 30 attorneys in the public integrity section one hour to decide who would file the motion. Many prosecutors reportedly considered a mass resignation before Sullivan volunteered.
Bove’s Previous Directives
Beyond the Adams case, Bove has played a significant role in DOJ policy shifts. He previously directed the FBI to identify agents who had worked on cases related to the January 6th Capitol riot.
In an internal DOJ email obtained by CNN, Bove attempted to reassure FBI agents by writing:
“Let me be clear: No FBI employee who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner with respect to January 6 investigations is at risk of termination or other penalties.”
Biden-Appointed U.S. Attorneys Removed
On Tuesday, the last of the Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys tendered their resignations or otherwise announced their departures. Court reporter and opinion columnist Julie Kelly announced the news, referring to it as “good news.”
“Guys, I am sorry for all the good news about DOJ but there is more,” Kelly wrote.
“A source just confirmed to me that the remaining Biden-appointed US attorneys were fired over the weekend. Some had resigned prior to Inauguration Day while others were terminated afterwards.
The ax fell on everyone else over the past few days with Biden appointees losing access to their government accounts.
The list includes Jacqueline Romero of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In a statement released last night, Romero praised herself for her ‘proactive anti-crime efforts through community engagement, youth outreach, and reentry initiatives.’
She added: ‘Alexander Uballez, the US Atty for New Mexico, also submitted his resignation at the request of the president. A press release touted his “impactful service.”
Also gone is Carla Freedman, US Atty for Northern New York, Darcie McElwee for Maine, and Zachary Cunha in Rhode Island.’”
The sweeping resignations within the DOJ underscore deep divisions over prosecutorial independence and political influence. The departure of the last Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys represents a complete shift in DOJ leadership.
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