Talking Points Memo
An interim U.S. attorney appointee who was personally interviewed by President Trump last year will stay indefinitely in his post, potentially giving him influence over the unfolding federal probes of Trump and his associates.
Judges in the Southern District of New York voted unanimously last week to keep Geoffrey Berman as Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor for the time being. Berman was one of 17 interim attorneys appointed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in January to serve 120-day terms under the Justice Department’s vacancy policy — a deadline set to expire on May 4.
The White House has yet to formally nominate US attorneys in key judicial districts, including the SDNY. Berman will serve in his post until Trump nominates, and the Senate confirms, a permanent replacement.
Until then, Berman, a donor to Trump’s presidential campaign and former law partner of Trump pal Rudy Giuliani, will oversee federal criminal matters in the district where the Trump Organization is based, potentially making him a key player in the sprawling investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
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