Danielle Sassoon, the former interim US attorney for the Southern District of New York, levied that accusation in a resignation letter that leaked to the New York Times. When Sassoon stepped down, it kicked off a whole string of resignations at the DOJ.

The Manhattan prosecutors accused DOJ of requiring them to “express regret and admit some wrongdoing” in their handling of the case in order to be reinstated.

Three prosecutors who worked on the criminal case against the New York City mayor said they refused a Justice Department directive to admit wrongdoing in order to return to their jobs.