Ousted Federal Prosecutor Tells Lawmakers That AG Barr Repeatedly Pressed Him to Resign

Ousted Federal Prosecutor Tells Lawmakers That AG Barr Repeatedly Pressed Him to Resign
Geoffrey Berman, then-acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during a news conference in New York on April 23, 2019. Mary Altaffer/AP Photo
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The former federal prosecutor who refused to step down from his role after being replaced told lawmakers that Attorney General William Barr repeatedly pressured him to voluntarily resign from his role before he was eventually fired from the job.

Geoffrey Berman, the former U.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York, testified before the House Judiciary Committee in a closed-door hearing on Thursday. In a prepared statement (pdf) provided by Berman to lawmakers, the ousted prosecutor recounted how Barr repeatedly attempted to urge him to step down in order to make way for Jay Clayton, who is currently the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to ascend to the position.