Trump is Soft on Crime

Support Trump and you will be above the law.

Feb 17, 2025

The Main Headline: Donald Trump’s DOJ is corrupt and soft on crime.

In January, Danielle Sassoon was appointed acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York—a major career milestone. Three weeks later, she resigned.

Sassoon stepped down after Trump’s acting Deputy Attorney General, Emil Bove, ordered her to dismiss the federal indictment against disgraced New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

On her way out the door, she wrote a scathing eight-page memo, detailing why she refused to comply. In doing so, she exposed a scandal that should end Trump’s presidency. (Spoiler alert: it won’t.)

Her resignation triggered a wave of departures. Six additional senior Justice Department officials resigned in protest. Today, four of Eric Adams’ deputy mayors followed suit, stating their resignations were “due to the extraordinary events of the last few weeks and to stay faithful to the oaths we swore to New Yorkers and our families.”

The TL;DR: What You Need to Know

Eric Adams was indicted on federal charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, bribery, and soliciting illegal campaign contributions.
Justice Department officials were preparing to bring additional obstruction charges against Adams for destroying evidence and instructing others to lie to the FBI.
Trump’s DOJ intervened—ordering the case against Adams dropped. The reason? Adams agreed to enforce Trump’s deportation agenda.

Sassoon’s resignation letter exposed the corruption at the heart of this deal. In it, she documented how Trump’s Deputy Attorney General ordered DOJ staff to destroy official notes from a meeting where Adams’ lawyers and prosecutors discussed the quid pro quo:

“I attended a meeting on January 31, 2025, with Mr. Bove, Adams’s counsel, and members of my office. Adams’s attorneys repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed. Mr. Bove admonished a member of my team who took notes during that meeting and directed the collection of those notes at the meeting’s conclusion.”

Why This Matters:

In Trump’s administration, justice is for sale. The equation here is clear: Support Trump and you will be above the law, even if you are a Democratic mayor from a liberal city.
This wasn’t just a backroom deal—it was a blatant quid pro quo between Trump’s DOJ and a Democratic mayor under indictment.
This continues Trump’s pattern of being soft on crime. Since taking office, Trump’s administration has:
- Pardoned violent rioters who beat, stabbed, and tasered cops on January 6th.
  - Since his blanket pardon for violent criminals, at least three have been re-arrested, including Matthew Huttle, who Indiana State Police fatally shot after an altercation.
- Dropped charges on Eric Adams.
- Is reportedly pressuring Romania to drop charges on self-proclaimed misogynist and alleged human sex trafficker Andrew Tate.

How To Message:

Instead of defending institutions, we should focus this issue on Trump’s corruption. Here are a few ways I think we can do this:

Donald Trump is not working for you or your family. Instead of focusing on lowering the cost of living, building more affordable housing, or lowering healthcare costs, he is making corrupt deals with criminals in exchange for their loyalty.
Trump is breaking his promise to end the weaponization of government. Instead of draining the swamp, his administration is participating in corrupt tradeoffs. He is allowing corrupt politicians to get away with crimes in exchange for loyalty pledges.
Trump’s record is soft on crime. Commit violence against police in his name, and he will pardon you. Illegally enrich yourself at the expense of your constituents, and Trump will trade your freedom for your loyalty.

Danielle Sassoon: A Resistance Hero

Emerging from the darkness of Trump’s DOJ is a flicker of hope. Her name is Danielle Sassoon, and she is an American hero.

She’s not a former FBI director with decades of experience.
She’s not a U.S. senator protected by a six-year term.
She’s not a billionaire with an army of lawyers.

Danielle Sassoon had everything to lose. Yet, when faced with a choice between her career and her oath, she stood by her oath. She chose the Constitution. She chose the rule of law.

She didn’t just resign—she rang the alarm on the way out.

In doing so, she joins a depressingly short list of patriots who put country over party, law over loyalty, and democracy over their own ambitions.

This is what we should expect from those who take an oath to serve. Not blind allegiance to a leader but unwavering devotion to the Constitution and the rule of law.

We should celebrate it. We should demand more of it. And we should ask ourselves:

Who will be next?