Former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, will testify next week before the House of Representatives judicial committee in a closed-door hearing, just weeks after President Trump fired him.
Berman will appear before the Democratic-led House committee next Thursday, Fox News was told.
Attorney General William Barr informed Berman late last month that he was fired from his position as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
At the time, Barr said he asked Trump to fire Berman after the Manhattan federal prosecutor said Friday that he planned to stay on the job against the wishes of the Trump administration.
“Unfortunately, with your statement last night, you have chosen the public performance over public service,” Barr said in the letter. “Because he has stated that he has no intention of resigning, I have asked the president to withdraw it today, and he has done so.”
Barr said Deputy Prosecutor Audrey Strauss was appointed to take over the post until a permanent successor is established.
GRAHAM SAYS TRUMP NOMINEE WILL NOT ADVANCE FOR SDNY PROSECUTOR WITHOUT CONSENT FROM SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND
Berman’s appearance next week will be the last event in a highly publicized dispute between the former United States Attorney and the Trump administration.
Barr and the White House announced in June that Trump will nominate Jay Clayton, the current chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to replace Berman. But Berman, whose office has been a thorn in the Trump side, said he learned of his “departure” from Barr’s press release and had no intention of quitting the job.
Initially, Barr said that the US Attorney in New Jersey, Craig Carpenito, would take office from July 3 until confirmation by the SEC by Jay Clayton. But Barr later shifted gears by announcing that Strauss would administer the SDNY in the meantime.
Democrats accused the Trump administration of trying to shut down Berman, who is leading investigations into the president’s allies.
“The president has doubled over on obstructing his investigative repairers about him and his allies,” said Rep. Val Demings, a Florida Democrat, a candidate to be Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick. “Clearly, nothing will restrict their corruption. No one is above the law. The American people will have their say.”
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House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, DN.Y., who helped prosecute Trump’s impeachment case before the Senate, announced that his committee will launch an investigation into Berman’s impeachment, saying it “smells to corruption and incompetence. “
The Southern District has prosecuted several of Trump’s associates, including former President Michael Cohen’s personal lawyer and arranger, who served a prison sentence for lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes. The office has also been investigating the business dealings of Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, even if he did not register as a foreign agent, people familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press.
Berman also oversaw the prosecution of two Florida businessmen, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who were associated with Giuliani and linked to Ukraine’s impeachment investigation. The men were charged in October with violations of federal campaign finance, including concealing the origin of a $ 325,000 donation to a group that supports Trump’s reelection.
Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton said Trump attempted to interfere in a Southern District investigation of the Turkish Halkbank in an effort to reach an agreement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Chad Pergram and Marisa Schultz of Fox News contributed to this report.
