REUTERS/ Lucas Jackson
Former US attorney Preet Bharara.
- President Donald Trump has named Geoffrey Berman, a former
law partner of New York City's mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, to become the Southern District of New York's top prosecutor. - Berman will replace former US attorney Preet Bharara, who was fired by Trump in March.
- Berman previously served as an Assistant US Attorney in the district from 1990-1994 and was also involved in the successful prosecution of a former CIA employee during the Iran-Contra scandal.
President Donald Trump has named Geoffrey Berman, a former law partner of New York City's mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, to become the Southern District of New York's top prosecutor, the Justice Department said in a press release Wednesday.
Berman, who will need to be confirmed by the Senate in order to helm one of the top federal prosecutor positions in the country, will serve as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York on an interim basis in the meantime, according to the Justice Department.
Berman previously served as an Assistant US Attorney in the same district from 1990-1994 and was also involved in the successful prosecution of a former CIA employee during the Iran-Contra scandal.
He is a partner at Greenberg Traurig, a prominent law firm in New York where Giuliani also remains a partner. Giuliani, who said that Trump's election victory was "one of the greatest victories for the people of America since Andrew Jackson," has been a vocal supporter of Trump during the contentious 2016 US presidential election.
Berman will be replacing former US attorney Preet Bharara, who was fired in March after refusing to resign.
Bharara has not shied from criticizing the Trump administration after his firing, and is often seen weighing in on legal matters on Twitter; railing against Trump and other officials involved in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the Trump campaign's possible collusion with Russia.