Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered career prosecutors earlier this month to sign a motion to dismiss the bribery case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, accused of corruptly approving permits for a new Turkish consulate in Manhattan.

The battle between New York federal prosecutors and the Justice Department continued Friday following another resignation over the order to end Eric Adams' bribery case.

The Justice Department’s independence from politics has always been a matter of rituals and appearances more than reality. The Supreme Court confirmed last year that the president has “exclusive authority over the investigative and prosecutorial functions of the Justice Department and its officials.”