Barr, as well as Trump corrupts our democracy.
U.S. Attorney Ousted by Barr Will Testify Privately Before Congress
The interview with Geoffrey S. Berman, the former top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, is part of Democrats’ inquiry into potential Justice Department politicization.
By Katie Benner and Nicole Hong
July 2, 2020
WASHINGTON — Geoffrey S. Berman, the former top federal prosecutor in Manhattan who was abruptly dismissed last month, has agreed to testify in a closed-door hearing before lawmakers next week as part of an inquiry into potential politicization at the Justice Department, according to a House Judiciary Committee notice reviewed by The New York Times.
Mr. Berman, who was fired after a brief but highly public standoff over his status with Attorney General William P. Barr, will meet privately on July 9 with members of the committee to discuss the circumstances surrounding his surprise ouster, according to two people familiar with the terms of his testimony.
Mr. Berman’s planned testimony comes amid a shake-up at the federal prosecutor’s office in Brooklyn. Richard P. Donoghue, the office’s top prosecutor, will come to Washington to serve as the No. 2 official in the office of the deputy attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, a key department post. Mr. Donoghue is seen within the department as a close ally of Mr. Barr.
The position is currently held by Seth DuCharme, who plans to return to the Brooklyn prosecutor’s office, where he was previously the head of the criminal division. He is being considered to run the office, according to two people familiar with the deliberations.
The moves, coming weeks after Mr. Berman’s firing, are likely to stir speculation that they are politically motivated. But President Trump has yet to nominate a successor to Mr. Donoghue, who expects his top deputy, Mark Lesko, to serve as the acting U.S. attorney immediately after his departure. Mr. Trump could install Mr. DuCharme to run the office under the Vacancies Reform Act.
Under Mr. Berman, the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office pursued cases that touched on Mr. Trump’s inner circle, exposing misdeeds by his former personal lawyer Michael D. Cohen.
more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/us/politics/justice-department-barr-berman-congress-testimony.html
DO SOMETHING!
| 