The Justice Department’s internal rebellion has found a new address.
John Keller, the once-top federal prosecutor who walked away from the DOJ rather than kill a corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, has reemerged — this time at the law firm Walden Macht Haran & Williams. The move signals not just a new chapter for Keller, but a louder counter-narrative to the political currents reshaping federal justice.
Keller had served as acting chief of the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section, overseeing the government’s most sensitive political corruption cases. But when orders came down from Washington to drop a high-profile bribery case against Adams — one that implicated Turkish officials and allegedly threatened the mayor’s re-election — Keller refused to comply. On February 13, he and five other senior officials resigned rather than carry out the directive, which came under the signature of then-Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.
The message from Bove? That prosecuting Adams during an election year could derail his role in assisting former President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration.
By April, a federal judge had thrown out the charges against Adams. But the resignations — particularly Keller’s — were already being read as early signs of resistance from career public servants to what many see as a politicization of justice under a returning Trump administration.
Now, Keller is heading up Walden Macht Haran & Williams’ expansion into Washington, D.C. The firm, known for high-stakes litigation and aggressive white-collar defense, is also home to Jim Walden — a former federal prosecutor now mounting his own campaign for New York mayor as an independent challenger to Adams, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and others.
In a statement, the firm praised Keller’s “unwavering commitment to the rule of law in a highly charged environment,” referencing both the Adams case and his broader body of work during 15 years in federal prosecution.
Keller, for his part, said the firm’s mission to fight “constitutional violations and government overreach” reflects the values he upheld at the DOJ — particularly during his tenure at the Public Integrity Section, which has long been staffed by career officials intentionally shielded from political interference.
That independence may be under threat. Reports earlier this year indicated the Trump administration is weighing deep cuts to the unit, which handles public corruption and election crimes. The same section that once brought down governors, congressmen, and corrupt officials across party lines may soon face a purge.
Asked for comment, the Justice Department remained silent.
But Keller, it seems, is far from quiet. He’s just getting started — this time from the other side of the courtroom.
