Barr attempts to fire US Attorney for SDNY, who refuses to step down (1 Viewer)

[GrandAdmiral]

Well it will be interesting what develops from this over the next few weeks...

Powerful US attorney who investigated Trump associates refuses to step down after Barr tries to push him out | CNN Politics

In a fast-escalating crisis Friday night, Attorney General William Barr tried to oust Geoffrey Berman, the powerful US attorney for the Southern District of New York who has investigated a number of associates of President Donald Trump, but Berman defied him by refusing to step down.

www.cnn.com

Moral of the story: don't piss off the fair leader.

 

[LA - L.A.]

House Judiciary Committee to hold hearing (Nadler is not only the chair but the rep for a congressional district that overlaps with SDNY.

Do you know of any legal or ethical reason why Berman might need to decline testifying before the Judiciary committee?

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Just for further context, here's the story of Berman's initial appointment.

Without Trump nomination, judges vote to keep US attorney

Federal judges in New York have taken the unusual step of deciding to keep U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in his job in the absence of a nomination by President Donald Trump.

apnews.com

 

[BobE]

This is just awesome

Trump: You're fired
SDNY: Nah I'm good

 

[superchuck500]

Do you know of any legal or ethical reason why Berman might need to decline testifying before the Judiciary committee?

Executive privilege.

(Not saying it applies - just that it is often in play when an exec official is called to testify).

 

[MT15]

Havent read this whole thread yet but wow.

 

[MT15]

DOJ tries to oust US attorney investigating Trump allies

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department moved abruptly Friday night to oust Geoffrey S. Berman, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan overseeing key prosecutions of President Donald Trump’s allies and an investigation of his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

apnews.com

This looks very corrupt.

 

[MT15]

Here’s a pretty good thread explaining things. Confirms where chuck ended up, I think, lol. Trump can fire Bergman, Barr cannot.

 

[superchuck500]

 

[Lapaz]

Here’s a pretty good thread explaining things. Confirms where chuck ended up, I think, lol. Trump can fire Bergman, Barr cannot.

The gist is that Bergman has a good chance of challenging this in court until after the administration changes, and in the meantime he can accelerate the building of the case that this is intended to prevent being built.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Here’s a pretty good thread explaining things. Confirms where chuck ended up, I think, lol. Trump can fire Bergman, Barr cannot.

Interesting thread. Unless I'm reading wrong, I don't think he's saying Trump factually can fire Berman. He's saying that the OLC will be enacted to kick him out, but that's where the test in court will likely begin to see if it holds water because it's never been tested.

 

[Ayo]

Havent read this whole thread yet but wow.

Not sure how much I'd trust Abramson, but 500 pages with 1k citations is a lot. And if it's true that Barr is actually a co-conspirator on money laundering for the 2020 campaign is legit? Then wow, indeed. The assertion is - in that thread - that SDNY has someone with the receipts and is cooperating with them.

Again, no idea how factually accurate this will turn out to be, but an allegation like that is worth following.

And it's gonna make for a wild season 4 of Ozark

 

[MT15]

Fireworks of the legal sort, just in time for the Fourth.

 

[superchuck500]

 

[MT15]

Here’s another speculation.

 

[superchuck500]

Here’s another speculation.

I don’t believe that.

 

[MT15]

Yeah, I don’t really believe it either.

 

[Saintamaniac]

The attempt has been made. Barr asked Trump to fire Bergman and he did. Barr seemed very salty in his response to Bergman refusing to resign.

 

[Ayo]

Well I’m sure this is all completely normal.