Danielle R. Sassoon, the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, quit after the Justice Department told her to withdraw corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams.
Danielle R. Sassoon, the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, quit after the Justice Department told her to withdraw corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams.
www.nytimes.com
Danielle Sassoon, Manhattan Federal Prosecutor, Quits After Adams Case Is Ordered Dropped
So I’m curious: what would happen if she said “no”, and also refused to resign or quit?
Honestly, I’m a bit flummoxed as to why people aren’t forcing the fascists hands here. Don’t make it easy for them. Don’t smooth the process. Make them do absurd things in reaction to our refusal to carry out their absurd directives. Everything should be intentionally messy in this context.
Fully agree, I'm getting really tired of people in positions like this just bowing out and not forcing the other side to follow through on their threats.
My employer (a biotech, with some government contracts, and a bunch of research grant money that ultimately finds its way to us) has done the anticipatory compliance thing on DEI - not 100% sure on whether or not they’re just quieting it down, or if they’re really killing the whole program, but they seem to be more concerned about legal/administrative CYA than doing the right thing.
Quitting is their ideal outcome. If they fire someone then the question becomes "Why?" and in some cases they open themselves up to a lawsuit because the former employee now has standing. They don't want to go on record in court or put themselves in a position to lie under oath. The Law is their biggest enemy and with every single act of malfeasance their quiet assertion is, "nobody is stopping us so it must be okay."
Because many of these people signed on to be civil servants, not political pawns.
And the alt-right has shown that they are willing to kill to get their way. These people didn't sign up for that either.
There are brave souls who are standing up to fascism by digging their heels in. But there are people who never wanted the lime light, who only wanted to do their job. Their bravery is different because they are resigning, forcing the spotlight on them but in a different way.
She probably did the best right thing she could live with.
I've seen others try this in other positions. They stop getting paid and are locked out from work, and sue
"He" being Justice Department deputy attorney general Emil Bove III, who wrote an 8-page letter to accept her resignation.