Attorney General William Barr told the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, Geoffrey Berman, that he is fired in a letter Saturday, amid a power struggle over who will fill one of the most important federal law enforcement positions in the nation.
The Trump administration moved Friday night to nominate Securities and Exchange Commissioner Jay Clayton to the position of U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, saying Berman was resigning his position.
Berman, however, said he had no intention to resign his post until until the nominee appointed by President Trump is confirmed by the Senate.
Attorney General Barr said in his letter Saturday that Berman had “chosen public spectacle over public service” by refusing to step aside and that he asked the president to remove Berman as the top prosecutor in Manhattan.
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