Following the reported threat of mass firings at the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section for refusals to dismiss criminal charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, CREW President Noah Bookbinder, a former federal corruption prosecutor in Public Integrity released the following statement:

“The purpose of the Public Integrity Section is to prosecute government corruption. It is an office full of prosecutors with nonpartisan integrity where I was privileged to start my career. By threatening to oust every prosecutor who refused to go along with a political order to drop a well-supported prosecution, Donald Trump’s administration has announced loud and clear that corruption is fine as long as the president likes you. The government brought charges against Eric Adams for his alleged corruption, and Adams should not get a pass because Donald Trump believes politicians should be allowed to be corrupt or because he curried favor with Trump. 

Donald Trump does not want a Department of Justice, he wants a department of retribution. He does not want obedience to the Constitution, he wants obedience to his wishes. These are not the actions of a democratic government prioritizing law and order–they are the actions of an authoritarian who rewards those who kiss the ring and punishes those who appropriately refuse to do so. Not only do these actions undermine democracy, but they make us less safe and our society more corrupt.

It is distressing to see the Trump administration attempt to take a wrecking ball at American democracy as we know it. An attorney making the impossible choice to follow an improper political order in order to save honorable colleagues’ jobs should give us no comfort. This will not end well.”