- Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, is stepping down, Attorney General William Barr announced late Friday.
- President Donald Trump will nominate Jay Clayton, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to replace Berman.
- Barr said that at his recommendation, Trump has appointed Craig Carpenito, the US attorney for the District of New Jersey, to serve as the acting head of SDNY while the Senate considers Clayton's nomination.
- Berman's abrupt resignation will likely draw scrutiny amid Trump's ongoing efforts to tighten his grip on the Justice Department.
- The SDNY, in particular, is conducting multiple investigations into Trump associates including his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
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Attorney General William Barr announced Friday that Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, is resigning.
President Donald Trump will nominate Jay Clayton, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to replace Berman, Barr said.
The attorney general added that at his recommendation, while the Senate considers Clayton's nomination, Trump has appointed Craig Carpenito, the US attorney for the District of New Jersey, to serve as acting US attorney for the SDNY.
"This appointment will be effective July 3, and Craig will work closely with the outgoing United States Attorney to ensure a smooth transition," Barr said. "I thank Craig for his continued service and for taking on this important interim responsibility."
Berman's abrupt resignation will likely draw scrutiny amid Trump's ongoing efforts to tighten his grip on the Justice Department. The SDNY, in particular, is conducting multiple investigations into Trump associates including his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
It's unclear if Berman was asked to step down or if he resigned of his own volition, and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But HuffPost reporter Ryan Reilly tweeted that his resignation was unplanned.
"I'm told Geoffrey Berman just sent a video message to SDNY employees yesterday talking about proper use of PPE," Reilly tweeted. "His departure was not all all expected."
Berman served as the US attorney for SDNY for two and a half years. He took over the position from Preet Bharara, whom Trump fired in 2017.
CNN reported that tensions between Berman and Barr have heated up recently as the two men butted heads over the handling of some cases, including the department's indictment of the Turkish state-owned bank Halkbank. Turkey spent millions of dollars lobbying the White House, Congress, and the State Department to ask the Justice Department not to investigate the bank.
And CNN reported in February that Barr "personally spearheaded" an effort last year to shield Halkbank from prosecution and negotiate a settlement with the bank that would have allowed it to avoid being indicted.
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