BONUS: Gov. Hochul should shut down quid pro quo in City
Mardi Gras parade-goers take a stand against President Musk in New Orleans
Please consider supporting The Front Page with a paid subscription: HERE
President Donald Trump bought himself a mayor last week.
His Department of Justice swapped bribery charges for a commitment to do Trump's bidding with immigration policies in New York City.
That is quid, pro quo - something for something.
Danielle R. Sassoon, a 38-year-old Republican federal prosecutor who is considered to be a rising political star, was chosen to head the Southern District of New York offices three weeks ago and this past week was instructed by the acting deputy attorney general, Emil Bove, to dismiss the corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams because The Trump administration had made a deal with him.
This is not politics as usual.
This was a bribe.
This was undermining the rule of law for political gain as Donald Trump put the mayor of the nation's largest city in his back pocket.
The deal was to dismiss felony charges against Adams - he was accused of taking bribes from the Turkish government - if the mayor would do Trump's bidding on immigration policies in the city.
They even put him on Fox News to put it on record.
It's the type of deal-making that Trump was indicted and impeached for in the past. And it all might have happened unimpeded if not for Sassoon.
Rather than carry out the wishes of the Trump administration, she wrote an eight-page letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on why it was unethical and illegal to do the things she was being asked to do.
"When I took my oath of office three weeks ago, I vowed to well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I was about to enter," Sassoon wrote. "In carrying out that responsibility, I am guided by, among other things, the Principles of Federal Prosecution set for in the Justice Manual and your recent memoranda instructing attorneys for the Department of Justice to make only good-faith arguments and not to sue the criminal enforcement authority of the United States to achieve political objectives or other improper aims."
It was a reminder that neither Bondi nor Trump had any intention of using the Justice Department for any other purpose than personal revenge and retribution.
Sassoon asked to speak personally with Bondi, writing "I cannot fulfill my obligations, effectively lead my office in carrying out the Department's priorities, or credibly represent the Government before the courts, if I seek to dismiss the Adams case on this record."
Sassoon wrote the evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Adams had committed a crime and if the original evidence was not enough, she planned to file a superseding indictment of further wrong doing by Adams.
"The reasons advanced by Mr. Bove for dismissing the indictment are not ones I can in good faith defense as in the public interest and as consistent with the principles of impartiality and fairness that guide my decision-making," Sassoon wrote.
This was a government employee doing the right thing. It was newsworthy because we see it so rarely these days.
The new attorney general decided doping the right thing was "insubordinate" which should tell you all you need to know about the new attorney general and make you fear the future of the Justice Department.
The eight-page resignation letter from Sassoon reads more like a closing argument to a high profile trial and must have especially stung Bondi as her words were turned back on her.
"In your words, `the Department of Justice will not tolerate abuses of the criminal justice process, coercive behavior, or other forms of misconduct.' Dismissal of the indictment for no other reason than to influence Adams; decision-making would be all three," Sassoon concluded.
Bove accepted her resignation and matched her eight-page resignation letter with one of his own as evil tried to match good.
What followed was inspirational. A half-dozen other prosecutors stood up for the rule of law and also resigned.
Hagan Scotten, one of the lead lawyers on the prosecution of Adams, wrote to Bove, “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.”
They eventually did find that fool, a senior lawyer willing to sacrifice his career so that younger colleagues could stay on the job pursuing hundreds of other active prosecutions.
The rule of law is paramount in our democracy, even if the Supreme Court has told us those laws do not apply to the president.
Sassoon's letter of resignation is a reminder there are lawyers and prosecutors who believe in principles of justice and rooting out corruption in government even if it costs them their jobs. This is why our democracy has stood for so long.
While Adams now seems to be in the clear from prosecution, his team was diminished when four top New York City officials said they would also resign, leaving Adams with little help in running the city.
Adams still could be removed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. She said on Monday she had called a meeting for Tuesday to discuss "the path forward" in New York City.
“In the 235 years of New York State history, these powers have never been utilized to remove a duly-elected mayor,"Hochul said in a statement. "Overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly. That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.”
Coming on the heels of telling the governor of Louisiana to drop dead over the extradition of a New York doctor for providing abortion pills to a woman in Louisiana, Hochul has shown she has the fortitude to also do the right thing.
Hochul should remove Adams immediately and stop this quid pro quo from happening.
Maybe she could convince Danielle Sassoon to run for mayor in Adams place.
Opening day
While pitchers and catchers were reporting in Florida and Arizona for Major League spring training, the Tulane baseball team was opening its season Friday night.
It was opening night on Valentine's Day and I figured what better way to spend Feb. 14 than with my very first love - baseball.
Turchin Stadium is wonderful little modern stadium where I found a seat right over the top of the Tulane dugout where you can hear everything the players and coaches have to say.
On a balmy night in New Orleans, Tulane went out to a 5-0 lead, but needed a late home run in the bottom of the eighth for a 10-8 victory.
Tulane went on to sweep Omaha all three games this weekend.
I will be back.
Streetcar Mardi Gras
I think I had my first true Mardi Gras experience riding back on the streetcar from the late Tulane baseball game.
The mostly empty streetcar came to a stop on St. Charles Street in the Garden District and about 20 very happy people boarded the car in total celebration of a wedding they had just attended.
The final man on board wore an impeccable blue suit and was smoking a cigar. He joked he "wasn't with these people."
He acknowledged he was a Sunday school teacher and these people were obviously sinners.
"Amen!" I heard from the back of the streetcar.
From somewhere in the back, someone pulled out a trumpet and began play "When the Saints come Marching in" and everyone joined in.
That's when the man in the blue suit said he had to get these people to church Sunday morning.
As we neared my stop, I leaned over and using an old Jimmy Buffet line said, "There is a fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning" and with that I stepped off the trolley with everyone waving and cheering.
Women's day
The Adirondack chapter of the American Association of University Women will be holding a women's day brunch on Saturday, March 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to celebrate International Women's Day.
Sherry Finkel Murphy, founder and CEO of Madrina Molly which provides
insights and education for women who are actively designing their second
50 years, will be the guest speaker.
The brunch will be held at the Northwest Bay Conference Center at SUNY Adirondack. Registration deadline is Feb. 28.
Louisiana politics
I've learned that Louisiana politics is similar to New York politics with a liberal big city at odds with the rural communities in other parts of the state.
I saw dozens of floats during the Krewe du Vieux Mardi Gras parade Saturday night with lots of political satire about the Louisiana Gov. Greg Landry, but even more about Elon Musk.
One float carried this tirade against Musk:
"50% tariff on all Earth goods."
"Musk's musk stinks."
"Impeach President Musk."
"Make Mars green again."
But my favorite line of the night referenced Gov. Landry's law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom in Louisiana. It read on one float, "Who needs school lunches when we have the Ten Commandments."
Maybe if Democrats want to protest, they need to throw a parade.
I didn't hear anyone booing in New Orleans.
Tonko event
Rep. Paul Tonko is doing something Rep. Elise Stefanik hasn't done in a long, long time. He is holding a town hall meeting.
Tonko will with constituents on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. at Albany High School.
Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.
“If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other.” - Ulysses S. Grant
And here we are…
With every passing day , we are witnessing corruption. Yes, our Governor should remove Adams. But will she do it is another question. To my dismay our government and country is longer viewed as a shinning example of righteousness to the contrary the United States has fallen from grace.