NYC Epstein prosecutor refuses to quit after Trump administration tries to fire him by press release
The U.S. attorney who oversaw key prosecutions of allies of Donald Trump has refused to step down after learning about his supposed resignation in a press release issued by Attorney General Bill Barr.
Geoffrey Berman - whose office charged Jeffrey Epstein with child sex trafficking last year - said in a strongly worded statement that he will not be leaving his position as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, despite Barr's claim late Friday.
'I learned in a press released 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.
'I cherish every day that I work with the men and women of this Office to pursue justice without fear or favor - and intend to ensure that this Office's important cases continue unimpeded.'
His statement came after Barr said Trump intended to nominate Jay Clayton, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to the post. The U.S. attorney in New Jersey, Craig Carpenito, was going to serve as the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan, beginning on July 3, Barr said.
The announcement, made late Friday, came after Barr visited New York City and met with local police officials there.
Geoffrey Berman said in a strongly worded statement that he will not be leaving his position as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York
Geoffrey Berman (pictured in 2019) is not stepping down as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, despite Barr's claim
The Southern District has prosecuted a number of Trump associates, including Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen (left), who served a prison sentence for lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes, and has also been investigating Rudy Giuliani (right) and his associates
Berman's office also charged Jeffrey Epstein with child sex trafficking last year
'Doesn't sound like "stepping down,"' Preet Bharara, the previous permanent U.S. attorney there, said in a tweet Friday. 'Why does a president get rid of his own hand-picked US Attorney in SDNY on a Friday night, less than 5 months before the election?'
He then added: 'Let me be stronger here. Berman “stepping down” is bulls***. He was fired.'
The news comes just days after former national security adviser John Bolton claimed in his tell-all book that Trump promised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan he´d interfere in Halkbank case that was being prosecuted in the Southern District.
The office has prosecuted a number of Trump associates, including Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who served a prison sentence for lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes, and has also been investigating Giuliani and his associates.
Berman has also 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, including hiding the origin of a $325,000 donation to a group supporting Trump´s reelection.
'Doesn't sound like "stepping down,"' Preet Bharara, the previous permanent U.S. attorney there, said in a tweet Friday. 'Why does a president get rid of his own hand-picked US Attorney in SDNY on a Friday night, less than 5 months before the election?' He then added: 'Let me be stronger here. Berman “stepping down” is bulls***. He was fired'
Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating Giuliani´s business dealings, including whether he failed to register as a foreign agent, according to people familiar with the probe. The people were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Berman, a Republican who contributed to the president´s election campaign, worked for the same law firm as Giuliani and was put in his job by the Trump administration. But as U.S. attorney, he won over some skeptics after he went after Trump allies.
He had recused himself from directly overseeing the Cohen investigation for reasons that were never disclosed.
Berman was appointed by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions in January 2018, months after former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara was fired after refusing to resign along with dozens of other federal prosecutors appointed by President Barack Obama.
Three months later, FBI agents raided Cohen's offices, an act the president decried as a politically motivated witch hunt.
Attorney General William Barr had said Trump intends to nominate Jay Clayton (pictured), the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to the post
The U.S. attorney in New Jersey, Craig Carpenito (pictured), was going serve as the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan, beginning on July 3, but Berman has revealed he has not resigned
Berman has taken a direct hand in other investigations that have angered Trump.
His office subpoenaed Trump´s inaugural committee for a wide range of documents as part of an investigation into various potential crimes, including possible illegal contributions from foreigners to inaugural events.
And weeks before the 2018 midterm election, Berman announced insider trading charges against an ardent Trump supporter, Republican Rep. Chris Collins. Collins, who represented western New York, has since resigned.
Under Berman's tenure, his office also brought charges against Michael Avenatti, the combative lawyer who gained fame by representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits involving Trump.
Avenatti was convicted in February of trying to extort sportswear giant Nike after prosecutors said he threatened to use his media access to hurt Nike´s reputation and stock price unless the company paid him up to $25 million.
The Southern District of New York is one of the nation´s premiere districts, trying major mob cases and terror cases over the years. If the mastermind of the September 11 attacks had been tried in a court of law, it would have been there.
