Free Republic

A respected former federal prosecutor approached the U.S. Justice Department in fall 2018 on behalf of a foreign witness who claimed to have evidence that Joe Biden had "exercised influence to protect" his son's employer in Ukraine in return for money to his family, according to interviews and documents obtained by Just the News. The agency didn't take up the ex-prosecutor on his offer but instead secretly obtained his phone records a year later in an apparent effort to identify his contacts. Retired Little Rock, Ark., U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins wrote then-New York U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman on Oct. 4,...

A book by a former top federal prosecutor offers new details about how the Justice Department under President Trump sought to use the US attorney’s office in Manhattan to support Trump politically and pursue his critics — even pushing the office to open a criminal investigation of former secretary of state John Kerry. The prosecutor, Geoffrey S. Berman, was the US attorney for the Southern District of New York for 2 1/2 years until June 2020, when Trump fired him after he refused a request to resign by then-Attorney General William Barr, who sought to replace him with an administration...

GOP rallies around Trump after firing of Manhattan US attorney BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 06/22/20 08:05 PM EDT — GOP rallies around Trump after firing of Manhattan US attorney Senate Republicans on Monday largely defended President Trump following his controversial decision this week to fire Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said Trump was within his right to fire Berman, who was involved in a number of politically sensitive investigations that touched on Trump and his advisers. “It’s kind of like previous firings, I would say,” Thune said....

 

Ukraine prosecutors didn't want the political spectacle that became impeachment and simply sought to turn over evidence about Joe Biden and election interference to U.S. prosecutors, memos show.Could the impeachment scandal have been prevented if the now-fired U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman had followed up on Ukrainian allegations about Joe Biden and his family in 2018? That’s the tantalizing question raised by emails from fall 2018 between an American lawyer and the chief federal prosecutor in Manhattan that were obtained by Just the News. The memos show that well before Ukrainian prosecutors reached out to Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s lawyer, in...

The definitive answer as to what happened in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office is still far from definitive. In the short period of time between Friday evening and Sunday morning, the bizarre saga of (former) U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman has taken more twists and turns than an Olympic luge run. Yesterday I puzzled over how Berman’s dismissal by either Donald Trump or Bill Barr (depending who you ask) was handled in such an apparently slapdash fashion. In less than a day, we went from Barr announcing the Berman was resigning to Berman saying he wasn’t. Then Barr said Trump...

Boom, again. – This afternoon, AG William Barr sent a scalding letter to SDNY U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, notifying him that, since he refused to gracefully resign when given a chance, he is fired. Here’s the letter: Image In case you can’t see the photo properly, here is the text: " " I was surprised and quite disappointed by the press statement you released last night. As we discussed, I wanted the opportunity to choose a distinguished New York lawyer, Jay Clayton, to nominate as United States Attorney and was hoping for your cooperation to facilitate a smooth transition. When...

Attorney General William P. Barr has released the following statement: “I am pleased to announce that President Trump intends to nominate Jay Clayton, currently the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to serve as the next United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. For the past three years, Jay has been an extraordinarily successful SEC Chairman, overseeing efforts to modernize regulation of the capital markets, protect Main Street investors, enhance American competitiveness, and address challenges ranging from cybersecurity issues to the COVID-19 pandemic. His management experience and expertise in financial regulation give him an ideal background...

JUST IN: AG William Barr responds to SDNY attorney Geoffrey Berman: "Unfortunately, with your statement of last night, you have chosen public spectacle over public service... I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so."

WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on the Trump Administration’s intent to nominate Jay Clayton to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. “According to Attorney General Barr, the Trump Administration intends to nominate Mr. Jay Clayton to be U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. “I have not been contacted by the administration in this regard. However, I know Mr. Clayton and believe him to be a fine man and accomplished lawyer. “As to processing U.S. Attorney nominations, it has always been the policy of...

Attorney General William P. Barr on Friday night abruptly tried to fire the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, Geoffrey S. Berman, who has investigated several of President Trump’s closest associates, but Mr. Berman said he would not leave.

Boom. – Attorney General William Barr made another move to clear the snakes out of his Justice Department yesterday, and the snake doesn’t want to ssssssslither away. On Friday afternoon, Barr released a statement announcing that Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, the weasel who led several of the cases dummied up by Robert Mueller, was “stepping down,” and nominated currently the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to replace him: Attorney General William P. Barr has released the following statement: “I am pleased to announce that President Trump intends to nominate Jay Clayton, currently the...

n a stunning plot twist, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman issued a statement Friday night asserting that he will not, in fact, resign — in direct contradiction to an announcement that he was stepping down made hours earlier from Attorney General William Barr. “I learned in a press release from the Attorney General tonight that I was ‘stepping down’ as United States Attorney,” Berman, said in a statement posted to the Southern District of New York Twitter account. “I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position, to which I was appointed by the Judges of the...

The federal government (Trump Administration) will not appeal a judge's ruling that revoked a grazing permit for Oregon ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond..... The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, resigning. Berman to be replaced by Jay Clayton, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The US Attorney for New Jersey, Craig Carpentio, to take over as Acting US Attorney for Southern New York July 3rd..... Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said today that one of hte police officers involved in the March 13th killing of Breonna Taylor will be fired.... The Air Force Inspector General...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. attorney who oversaw key prosecutions of allies of President Donald Trump and an investigation into Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani is resigning from his post, officials said Friday. Geoffrey Berman is stepping down as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Attorney General William Barr said in a statement. Barr said Trump intends to nominate Jay Clayton, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to the post. The U.S. attorney in New Jersey, Craig Carpenito, will serve as the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan, beginning on July 3, Barr said. It was...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. attorney who oversaw key prosecutions of allies of President Donald Trump and an investigation into Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani is resigning from his post, officials said Friday. Geoffrey Berman is stepping down as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Attorney General William Barr said in a statement. Barr said Trump intends to nominate Jay Clayton, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to the post. The U.S. attorney in New Jersey, Craig Carpenito, will serve as the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan, beginning on July 3, Barr said

Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, prosecuted Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen, and his office is investigating Rudy Giuliani.

A Russian former escort has claimed disgraced former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer used to smuggle her into his apartment in a suitcase. “He used to sneak me into his Fifth Avenue apartment in a black suitcase … when his wife was away,” Svetlana Travis Zakharova told The New York Post in an interview published on Thursday. “My knees would be up by my face. When the doorman would ask if he could help, Eliot would say, ‘No, thanks,’” she added, noting that she was sneaked in this way at least 15 times. The woman first became known in 2016...

Two of Rudy Giuliani's business associates implicated in the impeachment inquiry of US President Donald Trump will refuse to comply with requests for documents and depositions, their lawyer has revealed. Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two soviet-born Florida real estate entrepreneurs, have said that they will not accept the Democrat committee's ultimatum to hand in documents by Monday. They added they would also refuse to attend depositions scheduled later this week. 'While we have engaged with counsels for these witnesses, they have so far refused to agree to testify or turn over relevant documents. If they continue to fail to...

The Justice Department team that is leading the prosecution of alleged child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein includes the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey. Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at a press conference Monday that Maurene Comey is part of the public corruption unit handling the case against the well-connected and wealthy businessman. Maurene Comey, an assistant U.S. attorney, was named alongside Alex Rossmiller and Alison Moe as the prosecutors assisting Berman with the case. James Comey, who was fired as FBI director in 2017 by President Trump, had been a...