US President Donald Trump admin's dismissal of prosecutor creates political mess

Washington: US President Donald Trump administration's removal of the attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) from office has created a political mess.

US Attorney General William Barr said Saturday that President Trump has fired SDNY Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who initially refused to step down over unfinished investigations, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a letter to Berman, Barr accused him of choosing "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 wrote.

Speaking to reporters at the White House before leaving for a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday afternoon, Trump claimed that he was "not involved" in Berman's firing.

"Well, that's all up to the Attorney General. Attorney General Barr is working on that. That's his department, not my department. But we have a very capable Attorney General ... I'm not involved," Trump said. The President announced late Friday night his intention to nominate Jay Clayton, chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to replace Berman, who served as SDNY attorney from 2018.

In a stunning response, Berman, who ran the probe that sent Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen to prison and is reportedly investigating his current personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said that he, with "no intention of resigning", has not resigned.

"I learned in a press release from the Attorney General tonight I was 'stepping down' as US Attorney," Berman said on Friday night. (IANS)

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