A crisis at the department over the Eric Adams case is an early test of the criminal justice system’s resilience against a retribution-minded president and his appointees.

After career veterans refused to seek a dismissal of the case, acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove told prosecutors in Washington to find someone who would.

The morning after the mass resignation of prosecutors sparked a crisis inside the Trump Justice Department, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove led a meeting with the Justice Department’s public integrity section.

Prosecutor Hagan Scotten resigned on Friday following the resignation of six other DOJ prosecutors who would not drop the case against Mayor Eric Adams.