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House to Interview Fired NY Prosecutor 07/09 06:10
The ousted U.S. attorney who was leading investigations into President
Donald Trump's allies is set to appear before the House Judiciary Committee for
a private interview as the panel deepens its probe of politicization at the
Justice Department.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The ousted U.S. attorney who was leading investigations
into President Donald Trump's allies is set to appear before the House
Judiciary Committee for a private interview as the panel deepens its probe of
politicization at the Justice Department.
Geoffrey Berman, the former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of
New York, engaged in an extraordinary standoff last month when Attorney General
William Barr sought to have him leave office. Berman refused to step down,
relenting only after being assured his office's probes of Trump's circle would
continue.
In setting Thursday's interview, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold
Nadler, D-N.Y., called Berman's dismissal "part of a clear and dangerous
pattern" of behavior by Barr. The panel's Democratic majority is pursuing its
investigation of the attorney general, who they say operates more like Trump's
personal lawyer than the nation's top law enforcement official. Barr is set to
testify before the committee later this month.
The Southern District, known for its high-profile prosecutions, is where
Berman oversaw several ongoing investigations of Trump associates, including
some who figured prominently in the House impeachment inquiry of the president.
Berman's office is looking into the business dealings of Rudy Giuliani,
Trump's personal lawyer and a former New York mayor. It has also prosecuted
Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who went to prison for
lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes.
SDNY has probed Trump's inaugural fundraising and overseen the prosecution
of two Florida businessmen, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who were associates of
Giuliani and tied to the Ukraine impeachment investigation. The men were
charged in October with federal campaign finance violations.
The Judiciary panel's interview will be held behind closed doors. It is
likely to go on for hours. A transcript is expected to be released later.
Berman, a Republican lawyer and donor to Trump, was tapped by the
administration in 2018 as the U.S. attorney for SDNY. He had worked from 1987
to 1990 for the independent counsel who investigated the administration of
President Ronald Reagan in the Iran-Contra affair.
He previously served in the SDNY office as an assistant U.S. attorney from
1990 to 1994 before joining private practice, including time at the same firm
as Giuliani. He reportedly met with Trump before being assigned as the top
federal prosecutor job in Manhattan.
The effort to oust Berman sparked an unusual clash between the Justice
Department and its storied prosecutors' office in New York.
Late on a Friday, Barr announced in a statement that Berman was stepping
down. Shortly after 11 p.m. Berman issued his own statement saying he had "no
intention of resigning."
Berman showed up for work Saturday morning. Barr, critical of the "public
spectacle," announced Berman's firing.
Trump told reporters it was "all up to the attorney general." At the time,
Trump added: "I wasn't involved."
It's not the first ouster of a U.S. attorney from the SDNY. Preet Bahara, a
former federal prosecutor appointed by President Barack Obama, announced that
he was fired in March 2017, shortly after Trump took office.
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