Charges against Eric Adams should be dropped, amicus lawyer says

Context: Clement was brought on as an amicus to offer an independent argument on the Justice Department's order to toss the case.

• He served as U.S. solicitor general under former President George W. Bush and was on a shortlist of potential Supreme Court justice appointees during President Trump's first term.

What he's saying: Dismissing the charges without prejudice, as initially called for by Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, could mean a future politically motivated prosecution, Clement argued.

• "Prosecutions of incumbent public officials are among the Justice Department's most sensitive undertakings and raise inevitable suspicions of political motivations or improper leverage over the official's discharge of his duties to constituents," Clement wrote.
• "Even the appearance that the prospect of re-indictment would cause public officials to be more attendant to the executive branch than to constituents is deeply troubling and raises serious accountability concerns."

Yes, but: The push to dismiss Adams' charges was seen as a political move by the Trump administration and prompted the resignations of several top Justice Department prosecutors who felt unaligned with the request.

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Read Clement's full argument:

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional context.