Ousted U.S. prosecutor refused to sign letter blasting coronavirus
limits on religious gatherings
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[June 23, 2020]
By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Shortly before
Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor Geoffrey Berman was forced out of his
post on Friday, he refused to sign off on a letter from the U.S.
Department of Justice blasting New York City’s mayor for imposing
social-distancing rules on religious gatherings, a department official
confirmed on Monday.
The letter, which was signed by the department's top civil rights
attorney, criticized Mayor Bill de Blasio for limiting the number of
people who could attend religious gatherings to prevent coronavirus
spread, but failing to impose similar restrictions on individuals
protesting the death of George Floyd.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Berman's refusal to sign the
letter, citing his concern the letter was a political stunt.
"The message to the public from New York City’s government appears to
favor certain secular gatherings and disfavor religious gatherings," the
June 19 letter said.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of
New York declined to comment.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr announced on Friday that Berman would
be resigning next month as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of
New York to pave the way for the appointment of Jay Clayton, who is
currently chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Berman refused to step down, only to have U.S. President Donald Trump
fire him on Saturday.
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U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Geoffrey S. Berman attends a
news conference on the indictment of Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, David
Correia, and Andrey Kukushnin for various charges related to
violations of U.S. federal election laws in New York City, U.S.,
October 10, 2019. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
Berman's office, which is known for its high-profile prosecutions of
terrorists and white collar criminals, has not shied away from
probing people in Trump's inner circle.
Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Barr did not realize
Berman had not signed the letter to de Blasio before he announced
Berman's resignation.
Berman's office oversaw the prosecution of Trump's former personal
lawyer Michael Cohen, indicted two of Rudy Giuliani associates and
launched a probe into Giuliani's efforts to dig up dirt on Trump's
political adversaries in Ukraine.
Berman ultimately agreed to resign after Barr pledged to install
Berman's hand-picked No. 2, Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, as
Acting U.S. Attorney until a permanent replacement is put in place.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; additional reporting by Karen Freifeld
in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Bill Berkrot)
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