US lawyer in Andrew probe: ‘I have NOT resigned’
A TOP US prosecutor investigating Prince Andrew’s links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein has insisted he is not resigning after the US Department of Justice announced he was ‘stepping down’.
Geoffrey Berman, who recently accused the Duke of York of lying about offering to help with the investigation into the late American financier, said he first learned of his apparent withdrawal as US Attorney in Manhattan in a press release issued on Friday night.
William Barr, the US Attorney General, announced Mr Berman was ‘ stepping down’ after two-and-a-half years.
However, in a statement on Twitter yesterday morning, Mr Berman said: ‘I have not resigned and have no intention of resigning… I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate.
‘Until then, our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption.’
Mr Berman’s office has been engaged in a furious war of words with Prince Andrew in recent weeks, with both sides accusing the other of lying.
After US authorities wrote to the Home Office to formally ask to interview Prince Andrew about his relationship with Epstein, the Duke said he had already offered his assistance as a witness and accused US prosecutors of issuing ‘complete lies’. But Mr Berman hit back, claiming that Andrew sought to ‘falsely portray himself as eager and willing to cooperate’ and accused him of ‘shutting the door’ on the probe into the child sex offender.
The situation has since resulted in a ‘Mexican standoff’ with a source close to the Duke last week telling The Mail on Sunday that he now required an ‘olive branch’ from the US Department of Justice before he will speak.
In addition to the Epstein probe, Mr Berman’s office has prosecuted a number of associates of US President Donald Trump, including his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who was jailed for lying to Congress and campaign finance violations.
His office is also conducting investigations into the President’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. The Democratic leader of the Senate, Chuck Schumer said Mr Berman’s treatment ‘reeks of potential corruption of the legal process’.