Federal Judge Dale Ho plays key role in NY Mayor corruption case

The fate of the corruption case of New York Mayor Eric Adams is in the hands of the Federal District Court Judge Dale Ho.

The Biden appointee and prominent civil rights lawyer is expected to decide whether to grant the Justice Department’s request to drop the charges against the mayor.

The New York Times reports such a request from the government is rarely denied, but this is no ordinary request.

Top federal prosecutor and Trump appointee Danielle Sassoon resigned from her job in protest rather than to follow orders to request that the case be dismissed. She says the decision by the Justice Department is a “quid pro quo” for Adams cooperation with Trump’s massive deportation efforts.

Five others in the Justice Department have also resigned in solidarity with Sassoon, the Intelligencer reported. Also today, NBC NY reported four top deputies in the Adams administration also quit for many of the same reasons Sassoon did.

Adams faces charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign contributions.

The Senate confirmed Ho to his lifetime federal judgeship by a 50 to 49 vote in 2023. He had been the director of the ACLU’s voting rights project since 2013.

Prior to that he worked for the NAACP. During the Biden administration, his name had surfaced as a possible U.S. Supreme Court candidate.

Back in October, Adam’s longtime aide and the city’s director on Asian American affairs resigned after the FBI raided her home in February. No official explanation of her resignation has ever been given, other than the mayor’s office saying she was not pressured to resign.

The New York Post reported in February she has been cooperating in the Adam’s investigation. She has never been charged with any crime.