‘Republic is in grave danger’: Trump criticized for 'laying the groundwork for a fascist America’ with US attorney replacement

On Friday evening, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman of the Southern District of New York, a key figure in the investigations against President Donald Trump's business associates, was being replaced against his will by Attorney General William Barr, who put forward as his replacement Jay Clayton, a lawyer who has represented one of Trump's major creditors.

Berman later shot back that he was not resigning.

The development triggered immediate outrage and suspicion on social media, with commenters warning it was another step to the destruction of the rule of law.