"But it was never going to be me" [pdf]

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This is a profoundly powerful statement to me. “But it was never going to be me”.

This guy is clearly one of our best, brightest and bravest given his history of service. What a loss for this country.

"There is a tradition in public service of resigning in a last-ditch effort to head off a serious mistake . Some will view the mistake you are committing here in the light of their generally negative views of the new Administration. I do not share those views. I can even understand how a Chief Executive whose background is in business and politics might see the contemplated dismissal-with-leverage as a good, if distasteful, deal. But any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way. If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.

Please consider this my resignation. It has been an honor to serve as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York."

And it was achieved in the end by group punishment; "you have one hour to pick one person to do this". So either you all resign, or the threat and cost imposed upon you is so great, someone goes ahead and marks the official beginning of the end of the rule of law.

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