Trump has fired Geoffrey Berman as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, sources familiar with the decision told ABC News.
The surprise move comes two years into a tenure that included the prosecution of Michael Cohen, Jeffrey Epstein and two associates of Rudy Giuliani.
The decision was delivered personally by U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who a Justice Department official told ABC News offered Berman other positions, including head of the Civil Division at Main Justice.
He declined the offer and was subsequently fired and Craig Carpenito, the U.S. attorney in New Jersey, was named to lead the office on an interim basis.
Yahoo
Berman followed Preet Bharara, who was fired at the beginning of Trump's reign when Bharara refused to pledge allegiance to Trump.
"I learned in a press release from the Attorney General tonight that I was 'stepping down' as United States Attorney," [Berman] said. "I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position, to which I was appointed by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate."
"Until then, our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption," he continued.
[...]
Trump intends to nominate Jay Clayton of the Securities and Exchange Commission to replace Berman.
Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti wondered if the abrupt personnel change might be to protect Rudy Giuliani.
[...]
“Given Trump’s history, would anyone be surprised if he fired Berman to influence or quash the investigation of Giuliani?
[...]
“Be concerned,” former DOJ official David Laufman warned his Twitter followers. “Be very concerned.”
Raw Story
And the Senate is controlled by Republican Trump lackies. He won't have a problem there. It's just as important in November to flip the Senate as it is to remove Trump.
SDNY has been handling an investigation into the Trump Organization, the pay-off to Stormy Daniels, Trump's hidden inaugural donors, and Deutsche Bank's sketchy loans to Trump.
“The SDNY presents the greatest ongoing legal threat to Trump and his people,” says Mimi Rocah, a former chief of the office’s organized crime unit. In February the Times reported that Trump had asked Barr’s predecessor, Matthew Whitaker, whether a perceived loyalist could be put in charge of the SDNY’s work; Whitaker subsequently denied, under oath, having had any such conversation. But it’s hard to imagine Trump won’t try to intercede if the famously independent SDNY—currently back in the headlines for charging billionaire Jeffrey Epstein with sex trafficking—moves to indict one or more of the president’s high-ranking associates. (Epstein has pleaded not guilty.) “The fear is that Trump doesn’t even need to say it out loud anymore, because Barr is so protective of him,” Rocah says. “It would be ridiculously naïve not to be concerned.”
Vanity Fair July 2019
And, here's your bottom line:
UPDATE:
UPDATE:
There seems to be a little confusion. So unusual for this administration.
UPDATE: Berman steps down.
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