Cohen prober steps down

The prosecutor who oversaw the Michael Cohen investigation is stepping down.

Deputy Manhattan U.S. Attorney Robert Khuzami led the team who prosecuted President’s Trump’s former personal attorney for campaign finance violations, tax evasion and bank fraud. His last day is April 12.

An announcement from the Southern District of New York did not provide a reason for Khuzami’s departure but said he would return home to his family in Washington, D.C. Khuzami was in charge of the Cohen case because Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman recused himself for reasons the office has not disclosed. Berman is heading other Trump-related probes into the National Enquirer and the President’s inauguration — a sign that the reasons for his recusal from the Cohen case are relatively narrow.

Berman called Khuzami “an extraordinary and brilliant lawyer.”

“Rob has been commuting weekly from Washington D.C. since January 2018,” Berman said. “While his desire to continue to serve remains strong, he understandably has decided to return home to his family,”

A career prosecutor, Khuzami served as head of the Security and Exchange Commission’s enforcement division under President Barack Obama for four years. He will be replaced by Audrey Strauss, who served as Berman’s senior counsel since February of last year. Cohen is scheduled to begin serving a 3-year sentence in May. He says he continues to speak with Manhattan prosecutors.