A fascinating analysis of the attempted firing of Geoffrey Berman

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

and why it's really, really stinky:

Trump tried to fire the US Attorney from the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey S. Berman, who has managed a series of cases against Trump and his allies, including Trump fixer Michael Cohen, Trump lawyer Rudolph Giuliani, and Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who were indicted for funneling Russian money to Republican candidates for office. Berman is reported to be investigating Trump’s finances, among many other things...

What’s Berman saying? Well, it might be that Trump’s preference for “acting,” rather than Senate-confirmed, officials has come back to bite him. Berman was not Senate-confirmed; he is an interim U.S. Attorney. By law, the Attorney General can appoint an interim U.S. Attorney for 120 days. At the end of that time, the court can appoint that person indefinitely.

Now, this means that because Berman was appointed by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, not the president, he apparently cannot be removed except by the court, or, possibly, by the president… but not by Barr. Lawyers are fighting over who, exactly, can remove Berman, but that itself says that any challenge he files will land in the courts for months, likely until after the election....

And that’s another notable thing about Berman’s statement. He suggests he is being fired because the administration wants to delay or interrupt an investigation, and his language suggests that both he and the administration know exactly what that investigation is. There are a number of reasons the SDNY might be examining the finances of the president or his family, but former National Security Advisor John Bolton suggested another reason in his forthcoming book: he apparently claims Trump assured Turkey’s autocratic leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan he would fill the SDNY with his own loyalists, which would enable him to do Erdogan a political favor.

Lots more here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/june-19-2020

[Mike 03]

1. I wonder if the "favor" Erdogan wants is the extradition

of Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen? From what I've read, I don't believe Gullen had anything to do with the "attempted coup" that some people believe was a staged show to permit Erdogan to amass further powers and crack down on political opponents. But I don't know.

[leftieNanner]

12. I believe there is also something cooking with a Turkish bank

that broke the Iran sanctions.

[Grins]

27. Yes. Halkbank

Halkbank, one of Turkey’s largest banks, has been under investigation by US prosecutors since a Turkish inquiry in 2013 found it was used to launder up to $20-BILLION of IRAN’S gold in a scheme to evade US sanctions!

Trump intervened because Turkish President Erdogan asked him to get SDNY investigators to back off. Because he was getting a cut of the action.

How do we know this? Because IT’S IN JOHN BOLTON’S BOOK! Reported by The NY Times back in January.

Know who else may be involved...?

Michael T. Flynn.

[leftieNanner]

28. Thanks for the extra details

But you really can't hold it against Flynn, now, can you? Man's gotta pay the rent.



And Lord knows, he can't get another job at this point.

[Ligyron]

32. See ... Trump and all those jerks are aware and in on it ...and others.

Foreign actors all around the world no doubt.

Doesn't take a supper sleuth to put that together. I mean Flynn is on the phone as Dumps getting his Crown. Wonder who else in the wide world was told to get ready, we're gonna be open for business so get those bribes and offers ready.

Kushner and those guys probably held auctions

Once we get an honest DA's and a uncompromised DOJ the trials will go on for years. Wonder how some of them will enjoy the private prisons they helped out.

[Gothmog]

2. trump's refusal to get senate confirmation of his nominees will hurt hm

This will be fun to watch

[empedocles]

4. Been enjoying the news lately here.

[empedocles]

3. Nice clear find. V.O. Co-factors; Deutsch, SCOTUS opinions due, . . .

[blm]

5. Just read that earlier. Thank you for posting here.

You can post the entire posting. She put it up on Facebook.

[BComplex]

6. That article is pretty damning of trump's rally today, trying to drown out the "firing" of Berman

with trump trying to create race riots in Tulsa as a diversion.

There is something mighty serious going on in SDNY's investigation.

[leftieNanner]

11. Trump wants more chaos. He wants a riot tonight.

I think the worst thing for him would be to be ignored. I wish the protesters would just go home.

[BComplex]

13. I've been praying the BLM protesters would just leave Tulsa to the magats today.

I wouldn't want any magat juice getting anywhere near the BLM protesters. They need to go indoors, and NOT give trump the news videos he so badly craves out of today's rally.

[leftieNanner]

14. Precisely nt

[DENVERPOPS]

31. What if the MAGATS & Trump

wanted a riot and not one protestor showed up........LOL

All those sick sadistic fascist Trumphumpers would be gravely disappointed and have to go home empty handed and un-fullfilled.
That is, except the certain wait for Covid to take over their bodies.......LOL

And think of all those Trump stormtroopers, all juiced up on adrenaline with no poor individuals to expend it on.....LOL

And think of FOX news and other RepubliCON owned Networks having nothing to get all sensational about reporting......much like trying to make a story out of last week's leftover mashed potatoes........LOL

[Eyeball_Kid]

15. Fascists are pouring into Tulsa as I write this. They'll be violent. Guaranteed. n/t

[erronis]

19. And probably some hired goons (and DOP thugs.) Sorry, Tulsa!

Even though you have a very checkered past I'm not sure you deserve the mayhem that trump will cause.

[aeromanKC]

21. Yes, some very serious shit!!

This was posted earlier today: (click on show thread to show all. Seth's tweets.)

https://mobile.twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1274194312696401920

[Nevilledog]

7. That's what I thought last night.

[Pacifist Patriot]

8. Everyone needs to read that. Thanks for sharing!

[kentuck]

9. Thanks!

I have a better grasp of that now.

[smirkymonkey]

10. Kicked and bookmarked!

[erronis]

16. Heather Cox Richardson is a national treasure - along with Marcy Wheeler (emptywheel.net)

Also recommend this post by Rayne on emptywheel:
https://www.emptywheel.net/2020/06/20/attempted-firing-of-sdnys-berman/

Some background leading up to this evening’s half-assed Friday Night Massacre:

1990-1994 – Berman served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York while Rudy Giuliani was U.S. Attorney.

TBD – Berman became a partner at Greenberg Traurig; he ran their New Jersey office.

January 2016 – Giuliani joined Greenberg Traurig as global chair of cybersecurity and crisis management practices.

November 2016 – Trump asks SDNY’s then-USA Preet Bharara to stay on.

March 2017 – Attorney General Jeff Sessions asks all 46 holdover USAs from Obama administration to resign. Bharara declined; he also refused a phone call from Trump. He was fired the next day.

May 2017 – Giuliani supported Berman for U.S. Attorney though he was originally considered for New Jersey.

Who will be New Jersey’s next U.S. attorney?

President Donald Trump is deciding between one of Gov. Chris Christie’s criminal defense attorneys and another high-powered Jersey-based lawyer at a New York firm connected to former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, according to a source with direct knowledge of the process.

Vying for the coveted job are Craig Carpenito, who defended the governor during the Bridgegate scandal and its fallout, and Geoffrey Berman, who runs the New Jersey office of the New York law firm Greenberg Traurig, where Giuliani is global chair of its cybersecurity and crisis management practices.

The candidates’ dueling mentors reveal an across-the-Hudson struggle for Trump’s ear.

Trump interviewed Berman and others for the USA-SDNY role.

January 2018 – Sessions announced Berman’s appointment to USA-SDNY.

April 2018 – Berman remained un-nominated by Trump, continuing to work as an interim acting USA; because the 120-day appointment period expired, the Chief Judge of the Southern District of New York ordered Berman appointed as USA-SDNY under 28 U.S.C Section 546(d), until Trump nominated a USA-SDNY and they were approved by the Senate.

Which bring us to Friday evening’s drama…

The commentary on both of those sites is worth the price of any admission.

[yonder]

22. +1.

[Eyeball_Kid]

17. If Trumpy-boy cannot profit from a decision, he's not interested.

He's very predictable and efficient in this way. Nothing he does has implications that do NOT effect his bottom line. Death and murder are fine with Trumpy-boy as long as he gets a piece of the pie.

[OMGWTF]

26. SDNY will be ready and waiting for Traitor Tot on January 20, 2021

[Delmette2.0]

18. My sister just turned me on to Ms Richardson.

I really enjoy her podcasts and articles.

[Takket]

20. can you even imagine..........

How BAD things must be for drumpf at SDNY to even try this?

Think of this......... the president is afraid that even if he fires him, it will be tied up for months to determine if he even has the power to do so. so that option is clearly "off the table" because by the time that happens, whatever charges drumpf is afriad of will already be "out there".

So drumpf and Barr were so desperate, they literally just tried announcing that Berman resigned, and PRAYED that Berman would think "oh well they don't want me around so I'll just leave" and not realize that as a court appointee, he could tell Barr to go fuck himself.

that's how AWFUL things are for drumpf... they had to resort to trying to TRICK Berman into to resigning!!!!!!!!!

Also what POETIC JUSTICE that all this is happening because drumpf has abused the law to make temporary appointments to bypass the Senate........

[leftieNanner]

29. Berman wouldn't resign

Because he KNOWS all the stuff that the administration is trying to scuttle. And he knows that's why they are trying to get rid of him. Barr wants to get in there and accidentally shred and erase a few million files.

Kinda like he took care of whatever evidence he found in Epstein's house.

Berman was seen going into his office this morning BTW.

[yonder]

23. Great OP and responses. Thanks.

[cayugafalls]

24. Kick and Rec and Bookmarked.

Thanks!

[crickets]

25. K&R for the post and the discussion.

[paleotn]

30. What's the line on McConnell cutting Donnie lose on this one?

ie. not pushing a replacement through. Correct me if I'm wrong, but he'd also have to roll back the filibuster even more since I think it still applies to DA appointments. Even if it doesn't, the optics are horrible for McConnell and the Rethugs. So, does he.....

A.) Go along to save Donnie Two Hand's ass. Even if it looks like you're aiding and abetting obstruction of justice. Bad choice in toss up elections.

or

B.) Cut Donnie lose as a lost cause. In essence, Trump's fucked and Senate Rethugs focus on their own political asses instead. But, as Donnie burns down, the collateral damage might be hard to contain.


Tough choice for turtle boy, but couldn't happen to a more loathsome piece of shit.

[BComplex]

33. I like the way you think, Paleotn.

Good post.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

34. Traitor Tot's treason needs to be aired in public courts.