June 20, 2020
THE TIGHTENING NOOSE:
US Justice Department tries to oust New York prosecutor probing Trump allies (MICHAEL BALSAMO and COLLEEN LONG, 6/20/20, AP)
The Justice Department moved abruptly Friday to oust Geoffrey S. Berman, the US attorney in Manhattan overseeing key prosecutions of US President Donald Trump's allies and an investigation of his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. But Berman said he was refusing to leave his post and his ongoing investigations would continue."I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position," Berman said. His statement came hours Attorney General William Barr said Berman was stepping down from his position.The standoff set off an extraordinary clash between the Justice Department and one of the nation's top districts, which has tried major mob and terror cases over the years. It is also likely to deepen tensions between the Justice Department and congressional Democrats who have pointedly accused Barr of politicizing the agency and acting more like Trump's personal lawyer than the nation's chief law enforcement officer.The move to oust Berman came days after allegations surfaced from former Trump national security adviser John Bolton that the president sought to interfere in an Southern District investigation into the state-owned Turkish bank in an effort to cut deals with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
AG is the plum job in the Biden Administration, as you'll get to make your bones convicting Donald and his flunkies.
Posted by Orrin Judd at June 20, 2020 6:26 AM