Sunday on CBS’s “Face The Nation,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said the firing of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman was evidence President Donald Trump and his “henchman” Attorney General William Barr “are willing to get rid of anyone that’s investigating people who get close to Donald Trump.”
Partial transcript as follows:
BRENNAN: Do you know why U.S. Attorney Berman was fired?
WARNER: I have absolutely no idea. Although we do see this pattern where the administration uses Friday night to announce bad news, but this is one more example of why I think Bill Barr has repeatedly demonstrated that he’s more interested in being Donald Trump’s personal lawyer than he is in being the attorney for the United States of America.
BRENNAN: Well, there were a number of investigations that the Southern District was- was, and I suppose are- are still pursuing. And in his statements, Berman referred to the importance of continuing some of those investigations. Do you have any sense what he was referring to?
WARNER: No, it has been speculated that the U.S. Attorney Mr. Berman was investigating Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Mr. Giuliani. I think a number of us have been worried that Mr. Giuliani may have been knowingly or unknowingly manipulated by individuals coming out of Ukraine that may be manipulated by Russia. So, there seems to be a pattern from this administration that the President and his henchman, Mr. Barr, are willing to get rid of anyone that’s investigating people that get close to Donald Trump.
BRENNAN: Well, CBS has reported that Rudy Giuliani is under investigation. But do you have any reason to believe that the deputy in the Southern District office, her name is Audrey Strauss, is not capable or wouldn’t pursue those investigations?
WARNER: No, it- it appears that she’s a career professional, and I think it was appropriate for Mr. Berman to push back against what I think was totally inappropriate firing by first Barr and then it appeared Donald Trump himself. But we’ve seen this pattern. I’ve seen it in the intelligence community where literally six Trump-appointed intelligence officials have either been pushed out or fired because they tried to do their job of speaking truth to power. It appears again that Mr. Berman, who was a Trump appointee, was trying to do his job, follow the law, and that cost him his job. I- I do believe his- his deputy, Ms. Strauss, though, should be able to do the job professionally and appropriately.
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