MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st June, 2020) US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling for an immediate investigation into the removal of US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, who finally said he was resigning on Saturday, after a standoff with US Attorney General William Barr.
"The firing of U.S. Attorney Berman cannot be explained by cause and instead suggests base and improper motives. Attorney General Barr was not truthful last night when he said that Berman was 'stepping down,'" Pelosi said in a Saturday statement.
Barr said in a Friday statement released by the US Justice Department that Berman was "stepping down after two-and-a-half years of service as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York."
Shortly after, Berman said in a statement that he had not resigned and that he learned about his removal from a press release.
"I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning my position ... I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate," Berman said in a statement released on Twitter.
In a Saturday letter to Berman, Barr said that he was "surprised and quite disappointed" after seeing Berman's Friday statement.
"Unfortunately, with your statement of last night, you have chosen public spectacle over public service. Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so," Barr said on Saturday.
Later on Saturday, Berman said that he was resigning as Barr had decided "to respect the normal operation law" and have Deputy US Attorney Audrey Strauss become Acting US Attorney.
Pelosi said in her Saturday statement that US President Donald Trump and his supporters were protecting their own personal and political interests by interfering in investigations involving the US president.
"Congressional oversight of the Executive Branch is needed to protect the integrity of our legal system, which is under serious threat from this White House. AG Barr must be held accountable for his actions. Judiciary Chairman Nadler's renewed call for Barr to testify before the House Judiciary Committee and the Committee's decision to open an immediate investigation into this incident are justified and urgently needed," Pelosi said.
The House speaker suggested that Berman was removed because of the Southern District's ongoing inquiries into Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
Berman's office was involved in the prosecution of Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer who pleaded guilty in November 2018 to charges of lying to Congress, and an ongoing investigation of Rudy Giuliani, the US president's current lawyer. Giuliani was the attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1983 until 1989.
