It’s become a well-known trend in the Trump administration, in coordination with the Department of Justice, to avoid or end investigations into their own corruption by simply firing the investigators. An inspector general was fired just ten days ago and without any explanation to the American public although he had been conducting an investigation into Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Trump tried everything in his power to have Robert Mueller fired during the Russian collusion investigation.
On Friday night, Attorney General William Barr announced the “resignation” of the attorney general for the southern district of New York, Geoff Berman, who happened to have been the investigator in the Michael Cohen case and is actively investigating Trump’s “attorney,” Rudy Giuliani. Except…Berman says he hasn’t resigned and isn’t leaving his post or his investigations.
Another Friday night, another attempted massacre, this time SDNY U.S. Attorney Berman.
Barr does Trump’s dirty work again.
Whether this is payback for Berman’s past independence, or a new effort to obstruct pending investigations, we do not know.
But Congress must find out. https://t.co/2WTlrtxN2I
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) June 20, 2020
Rep Adam Schiff (D-CA) posted on Saturday that an investigation into Attorney General Barr is necessary over Berman’s firing. So far, Barr has been Trump’s third attorney and “fixer” after Michael Cohen, who now sits in prison, and Rudy Giuliani, who remains a Trump loyalist. However, the U.S. DOJ is intended to be a non-partisan organization, and Trump and Barr are making sure that isn’t happening.
According to The New York Times:
‘The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, who has investigated President Trump’s closest associates, was refusing to leave his position on Saturday after Attorney General William P. Barr tried to fire him, setting up an extraordinary standoff over the independence of law enforcement and the president’s purge of officials he views as disloyal.’
Make no mistake—Bill Barr will go down in history as having aided and abetted the most corrupt president this country has ever seen.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 20, 2020
Berman released a statement on Friday night saying that he not offered his resignation and was only informed about his supposed “resignation” when he saw it in a DOJ news release. Berman says he is staying where he is unless a replacement forces him out. So far, the nominee for Berman’s replacement is Jay Clayton, a Trump loyalist at the SEC with no legal experience.
‘Mr. Barr abruptly announced the resignation late Friday night of the prosecutor, Geoffrey S. Berman, United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, whose office has been at the forefront of corruption inquiries into Mr. Trump’s inner circle. The office successfully prosecuted the president’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who went to prison, and has been investigating Mr. Trump’s current personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani.’
An investigation into the partisan hackery of the U.S. Constitution by Bill Barr is long since overdue. Barr’s refusal to respond to congressional subpoenas and his willingness to intervene in the actions taken by people responsible for oversight make him a traitor to his office. Berman will continue his investigations; hopefully, Congress will do the same.
‘Mr. Berman then quickly issued a statement denying that he was leaving. “I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position,” Mr. Berman said, adding that he had learned that he was “stepping down” from a Justice Department news release.’
obstruction of justice happening again right before our eyes. #fridaynightmassacre https://t.co/CBEGjQjfsl
— emma (: (@emmyyfaith) June 20, 2020
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
