Prosecutor recused from raid of Trump lawyer
WASHINGTON – Chief Manhattan federal prosecutor Geoffrey Berman, whose office is overseeing an inquiry into President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, was recused before FBI agents raided Michael Cohen’s offices and home, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
Berman, named by Trump in January as an interim replacement to fill the post formerly held by Preet Bharara, was recused by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, said the person, who is not authorized to comment publicly.
Stephen Ryan, Cohen’s attorney, has said that the raid in New York followed a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller, who determined the information related to Cohen did not fall within the scope of his investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Rosenstein directly oversees Mueller and manages how such referrals are directed for further investigation.
The source said Berman played no role in the decision to carry out the search of Cohen’s New York office and home, where authorities were in part pursuing information related to an alleged hush money payment of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election.
Justice Department officials declined to comment Tuesday.
Cohen has said he used his own money to “facilitate” the payment, asserting that he was not reimbursed by the Trump campaign or the Trump Organization.
Last week, Trump denied knowing about the payment or where the money came from.
Federal prosecutors have requested that the Trump Organization provide any documents that may exist related to the payment, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
In a statement to USA TODAY, The Trump Organization pledged to cooperate with authorities.
“We do not generally comment on such matters, but have and will continue to comply with inquiries from proper authorities,” the company said.
If Cohen used his own money and acted without Trump’s knowledge, it could be considered an illegal contribution to Trump’s campaign.
Berman, the interim U.S. attorney, was appointed in January to the interim 120-day tenure, along with more than a dozen other federal prosecutors, to fill vacancies across the country.