Top US Prosecutor Geoffrey Berman, Who Was Probing Trump’s Allies, Fired By William Barr – By Laura Bonilla Cal (IB Times) / June 20 2020
- KEY POINTS
- Top Southern District of New York prosecutor Geoffrey Berman, who was probing Trump’s allies, fired by William Barr
- Attorney General Barr says Trump agreed to fire the official
- Public firestorm averted as Berman agrees to step down without a fight
America’s top law enforcement official told one of the country’s most powerful prosecutors, known for investigating allies of President Donald Trump, that he was fired Saturday — sparking uproar and prompting calls by Democrats for an independent inquiry.
Geoffrey Berman, head of the Southern District of New York attorney’s office since 2018, discovered his job was in jeopardy via a press release late Friday from Attorney General Bill Barr saying the prosecutor was stepping down.
Berman responded that he had “no intention” of quitting, and that his office’s “investigations will move forward without interruption.”
But Barr sent him a letter Saturday saying Trump had agreed to fire the official “as of today.”
The fast-intensifying crisis has pitted the government against much of Washington’s legal community — and has apparently set Barr against Trump, who later denied any involvement in the case.
Continue to article: https://www.ibtimes.com/top-us-prosecutor-geoffrey-berman-who-was-probing-trumps-allies-fired-william-barr-2997639