It was late on a Friday night in June 2020 when the press release dropped. Attorney General William Barr announced that Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), was "stepping down."
There was just one problem. Berman hadn’t quit.
He found out he was supposedly leaving his job the same way the rest of the world did: by watching the news. Within hours, Berman shot back with a defiant statement of his own, basically saying, "I haven’t resigned, and I’m not leaving until the Senate confirms a replacement." It was an unprecedented public standoff between the country’s top law enforcement official and the leader of its most powerful federal prosecutor’s office.
When people talk about a trump fired federal prosecutor, they are usually thinking of Berman or his predecessor, Preet Bharara. But these weren't just HR disputes. They were moments where the independence of the American justice system hit a breaking point.
The Friday Night Standoff with Geoffrey Berman
The SDNY isn’t just any office. They call it the "Sovereign District" of New York because of its long history of independence from the political whims of Washington. When Berman took the job, he was actually a Republican and a Trump donor. Many thought he’d be a loyalist.
He wasn't.
Under his watch, the office prosecuted Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen and started digging into Rudy Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine. They were also looking into a Turkish bank case that involved President Erdoğan—a case Trump allegedly wanted to go away as a favor to the Turkish leader.
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So, when Barr tried to push him out that Friday, the tension was thick. Barr initially claimed Berman was resigning. Berman called him out on the lie. The next day, Barr sent a letter saying the President had fired him. Interestingly, Trump himself told reporters that same day, "I’m not involved," throwing the whole thing into a weird, confusing loop of "he said, he said."
Berman eventually agreed to leave, but only after Barr backed down on trying to install an outside "loyalist" and instead let Berman’s career deputy, Audrey Strauss, take over. It was a tactical retreat that kept the office’s ongoing investigations safe for a while.
Preet Bharara: The First Warning Sign
Years before the Berman drama, there was Preet Bharara.
Back in November 2016, then-President-elect Trump met with Bharara at Trump Tower and personally asked him to stay on. It was a big deal. Then, in March 2017, the Justice Department suddenly ordered 46 Obama-era prosecutors to resign immediately.
Bharara refused. He figured the "stay on" promise from the President still held water.
It didn't.
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He was fired via a phone call from the Acting Deputy Attorney General. Bharara later revealed that Trump had tried to call him directly a few times before the firing, which he felt was a breach of the "wall" that’s supposed to exist between the White House and active criminal investigations. Honestly, it set the tone for the next four years. It showed that personal loyalty was going to be the new currency in DC, regardless of what the traditional rules said.
Why These Firings Actually Matter
Most of us don't spend our days thinking about who runs the federal prosecutor's office in Manhattan. But we should.
These prosecutors have the power to subpoena anyone. They can look at tax returns, listen to phone calls, and indict the most powerful people on earth. When a trump fired federal prosecutor makes headlines, it’s usually because that prosecutor was looking at something the White House didn't want them to see.
- The Giuliani Probe: Investigating the President's personal lawyer for foreign lobbying violations.
- The Halkbank Case: A massive money-laundering investigation involving Turkey that became a diplomatic sticking point.
- The Michael Cohen Case: The hush-money scandal that eventually led to Cohen going to prison.
If a President can just swap out a prosecutor the moment an investigation gets too close to home, the whole idea of "no one is above the law" starts to look pretty flimsy.
The 2025-2026 Resurgence of the Purge
Fast forward to the present. Since returning to office in January 2025, we've seen this pattern go on steroids. It's not just one or two high-profile names anymore.
In early 2025, Acting SDNY U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon resigned after reportedly refusing to drop charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams—a move that felt eerily familiar to those who watched the Berman saga. Then came the "probationary purge." In February 2025, the administration began firing hundreds of federal workers and career prosecutors who were still in their one-to-two-year probationary periods.
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Attorney General Letitia James actually sued the administration over this in March 2025, arguing that these mass layoffs bypassed the legal notice requirements. It's a mess. We’ve even seen veteran prosecutors like Elizabeth Yusi in Virginia get the boot after refusing to bring charges against political rivals like... well, Letitia James herself.
What You Should Watch For
The "independence" of the DOJ is a bit of a myth—the President technically has the power to fire these people. But there’s a difference between a "policy change" and "obstruction of justice."
If you're trying to keep track of this, look at who is being put into these roles. Are they career prosecutors with 20 years of experience? Or are they political lawyers with no courtroom time? In the Eastern District of Virginia recently, we saw Lindsey Halligan—a lawyer with zero prosecutorial experience—taking over major cases. That's a huge red flag for the legal community.
Actionable Insights for Following Legal News:
- Check the Deputy: When a U.S. Attorney is fired, always look at who takes over. If it’s the career Deputy (like Audrey Strauss), the office usually remains stable. If it’s an outside "interim" appointment, expect major changes in which cases are pursued.
- Watch the "Recusals": If a prosecutor recuses themselves from a case, it’s often because they want to protect the investigation from being shut down by their superiors.
- Follow the Dissent: Keep an eye on the "resignation letters" of career staff. When 20-year veterans leave all at once, it’s a sign that the internal "wall" between politics and law has crumbled.
The firing of a federal prosecutor is never just about a job opening. It's about who has the power to say "no" to the most powerful person in the world.
Next Steps for Staying Informed:
To get a clearer picture of how these legal shifts affect your local area, you should look up the current U.S. Attorney for your specific district. Check if they are a "Presidential Appointee" or an "Interim Appointee" by the court. This status determines how easily they can be removed without Senate oversight. You can also track the progress of the "Letitia James vs. DOJ" lawsuit regarding federal firings, as the outcome will likely set the legal standard for executive removal powers for the rest of the decade.