Showdown at SDNY Corral

After rightly refusing flunky Attorney General Bill Barr’s Friday night effort to fire him, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman got sacked by President Trump Saturday afternoon, as Trump tries to shield himself and his pals from federal prosecution. He must not succeed.

After Trump fired Preet Bharara and failed to appoint a successor, the federal judges of the Southern District of New York appointed Berman in April 2018. Under the law, there he remains until he is replaced by a Senate-confirmed replacement. Barr tried to slide in the U.S. attorney from New Jersey until Securities and Exchange Commission boss Jay Clayton is confirmed, which won’t happen. When Berman justly said no, Trump gave the hook, though it’s unclear if he can.

It is the SDNY that prosecuted Michael Cohen, who was fingering Trump for tax fraud and other crimes. It is SDNY that is investigating Deutsche Bank for its longstanding ties to the Trump Organization. It is SDNY that has been untangling the Ukraine dealings of Rudy Giuliani, including his failure to register as a foreign agent.

And it is SDNY that is prosecuting the Turkish state-owned bank Halkbank; the Turks spent millions lobbying the Trump administration to get Justice to ignore sanctions violations. In his new book, former national security adviser John Bolton claims Trump promised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan he’d scuttle that probe.

Under Berman or Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, a career prosecutor, the SDNY must stay independent. Barr and Trump, corrupt to the core, must go.