CNN
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A federal prosecutor involved in the corruption investigation surrounding New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned on Friday, submitting a passionate letter in which he accused high-ranking officials at the Justice Department of attempting to find a “fool” to facilitate the dismissal of criminal charges.

Hagan Scotten, the attorney who resigned, marks the seventh individual to leave due to the troubled efforts to drop charges against Adams. He had been a line prosecutor on the case but was placed on administrative leave on Thursday after refusing to approve its dismissal.

In his resignation letter to acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, Scotten criticized what he described as a “dismissal-with-leverage.”

“Any assistant U.S. attorney understands that our legal system and traditions forbid using prosecutorial power to manipulate citizens, particularly elected officials,” Scotten stated in his letter to Bove, who previously served as President Donald Trump’s personal attorney.

“If no legal advisor nearby the President dares to offer him this advice, I anticipate that you will ultimately discover someone foolish enough, or cowardly enough, to file your motion,” Scotten added, emphasizing, “But it will never be me.”

Scotten, a Harvard Law School graduate who earned two bronze stars as a troop commander in Iraq, is an experienced prosecutor with a track record of handling various corruption cases in New York, including cases involving three associates of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He has also prosecuted cases against Bishop Lamor Whitehead, a figure close to Adams who was found guilty on multiple fraud charges. Scotten has previously clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts as well.

CNN has reached out to Scotten for further comment.

Scotten condemned Justice Department leadership’s rationale for moving to dismiss the case, which argued that closing the charges would enable Adams to concentrate fully on addressing illegal immigration and preparing for his 2025 reelection campaign.

“No system of ordered liberty permits the government to manipulate the option of dismissing charges or threaten to reinstate them in order to persuade an elected official to support its policy aims,” Scotten emphasized.

Adams has pleaded not guilty to five federal charges. As of now, the Justice Department has yet to submit its motion to dismiss the case against him.

This story is breaking and will be updated as new information emerges.