Geoffrey Berman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York | |
| In office January 5, 2018 – June 20, 2020 Acting: January 5, 2018 – April 25, 2018 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Joon Kim (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Audrey Strauss |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Geoffrey Steven Berman September 12, 1959 Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Joanne Schwartz |
| Relatives | Michael J. Berman |
| Residence(s) | New York, New York, U.S. |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA, BS) Stanford University (JD) |
Geoffrey Steven Berman (born September 12, 1959) is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2018 to 2020. He is a partner at the law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson.
Berman served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1990 to 1994. In January 2018, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Berman's appointment as interim U.S. Attorney for a statutory period of 120 days.[1] On April 25, 2018, the judges of the Southern District of New York, pursuant to , unanimously appointed Berman U.S. Attorney for an indeterminate term that extended "until the vacancy is filled",[2] which may or may not include the appointment of a presidential nominee approved by the Senate.[3][2]
On June 19, 2020, Attorney General William Barr announced in a press release that Berman was "stepping down" effective July 3 and that Jay Clayton, the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, would be nominated as his replacement.[4][5] Hours later, Berman stated that he had not resigned and would not resign until "a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate."[6] At the time that Trump and Barr sought his ouster, Berman was reportedly investigating Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani for alleged crimes relating to his activities in Ukraine.[7][8] On June 20, Barr told Berman that he had been fired by Trump at Barr's request and that the deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss would serve as acting U.S. Attorney. Berman then agreed to resign immediately.[8][9][10]
- ^ United States Department of Justice (January 3, 2018). "Attorney General Sessions Appoints 17 Current and Former Federal Prosecutors as Interim United States Attorneys". Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ a b 28 U.S.C. § 546 28 U.S. Code § 546. Vacancies (United States Attorneys)
- ^ Weiser, Benjamin (April 25, 2018). "With No Nomination From Trump, Judges Choose U.S. Attorney for Manhattan". The New York Times. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
- ^ Chaitin, Daniel (June 19, 2020). "Geoffrey Berman resigning as Manhattan US attorney". Washington Examiner.
- ^ Barr, William (June 19, 2020). "Attorney General William P. Barr on the Nomination of Jay Clayton to Serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York". Department of Justice. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ^ "Statement Of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman On Announcement By Attorney General Barr". United States Department of Justice (Press release). June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Weiser, Benjamin; Rashbaum, William K.; Hong, Nicole; Haberman, Maggie; Benner, Katie (June 19, 2020). "Barr Abruptly Seeks to Fire U.S. Attorney Who Investigated Trump Associates". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
stepdownwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Moreno, J. Edward (June 20, 2020). "Barr says Trump fired Manhattan US Attorney Berman". The Hill. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Schultz, Marisa (June 20, 2020). "AG Barr says Trump has fired SDNY federal prosecutor who refused to leave; president says he's 'not involved'". Fox News, MSN. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
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