President Donald Trump on Saturday denied involvement in firing Geoffrey Berman, the powerful prosecutor atop the Manhattan US Attorney’s office, shortly after Trump’s attorney general sent Berman a letter saying the President had done so.
Attorney General William Barr told Berman, whose office has led prosecutions and investigations of Trump’s allies, that Trump had agreed to remove him after he refused Barr’s effort a day prior to oust him.
Barr’s letter Saturday noted that “by operation of law,” Berman’s current deputy, Strauss, will become Acting US Attorney, “and I anticipate that she will serve in that capacity until a permanent successor is in place.”
Barr also announced in his letter to Berman that the DOJ’s inspector general would provide oversight of the Manhattan US Attorney’s office, a step that is likely to cause New York federal prosecutors, who famously prize their independence, to balk.
The person familiar with the matter said Saturday that Clayton wasn’t happy to become part of the standoff between Barr and Berman, and had been a willing participant in the job discussions for the Manhattan post based on his belief that Berman was exiting on his own accord.
