In response to my earlier post about the odious and reprehensible Eric Adams deal ("One Step Closer"), several commenters asked why this deal is any different from an ordinary plea bargain deal, in which the government agrees to drop the original charge(s) against a criminal defendant in return for the defendant agreeing to do or not do certain things - e.g., to cooperate with the prosecutors in various related cases, say, or to step down from a managerial role in a certain company, or to stop holding himself out as a financial adviser, etc. The government is agreeing not to prosecute Adams, and Adams is promising to cooperate with federal law-enforcement actions implementing its immigration policies. Why is everyone making such a big deal about it?
It's a very good question, to which there is a very good answer, which can help explain why the DOJ's actions are both unprecedented and chilling.
The Adams deal differs from business as usual in three important ways:
