Top NY prosecutor Geoffrey Berman, a Trump appointee, recused from Michael Cohen inquiry
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Federal agents on Monday raided the office of President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen, seizing records on topics including a $130,000 payment made to a porn actress who says she had sex with Trump more than a decade ago. (April 9)
AP
WASHINGTON — Chief Manhattan federal prosecutor and Trump administration appointee Geoffrey Berman, whose office is overseeing a federal inquiry into President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, was recused from the investigation before FBI agents raided Michael Cohen’s offices and home, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
Berman, named in January as an interim replacement to fill the post formerly held by Preet Bharara who Trump dismissed last year, was disqualified by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, said the person who is not authorized to comment publicly.
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 comment Tuesday.
ABC News first reported the news of the recusal Tuesday.
Cohen has acknowledged using his own money to “facilitate†the payment, asserting that he was not reimbursed by the Trump campaign or the Trump Organization. Last week, President Trump denied knowing about the payment or where the hush money came from.
If Cohen used his own money and acted without Trump’s knowledge, it could be considered an illegal contribution to Trump’s campaign and put him in legal jeopardy. Legal ethics rules bar attorneys from settling a claim without their clients’ knowledge or using their own money to fund settlements.
Berman 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.
 “Geoffrey Berman brings three decades of invaluable experience to the role of Interim United States Attorney,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at the time, citing his past experience as a federal prosecutor in the office that he now oversees.
“As interim U.S. attorney for this same district, he will lead an incredible team of attorneys and investigators and help provide New Yorkers with safety, security, and peace of mind,” Sessions said. “I am pleased to appoint him to this important role.â€
Prior to his appointment, Berman was a principal in the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, whose shareholders include Giuliani, the former New York mayor and Manhattan U.S. attorney.
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