Trump and Barr's 'gobsmacking' firing of SDNY's Berman will haunt the president's allies in the Senate: conservative

On Saturday, writing for The Washington Post, anti-Trump conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin argued that Attorney General William Barr's effort to remove SDNY Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who was just officially removed by President Donald Trump, has backfired.

"It is telling that we do not know which of many possible investigations may have triggered Barr’s ire. There are so many to choose from ... You need a scorecard to keep track of Trump’s legal vulnerabilities," wrote Rubin.

It could, for instance, have been in response to former National Security Adviser John Bolton's allegation Trump sought to interfere into international criminal investigations against the Turkish Halkbank in the Southern District. Or it could be retaliation for Berman presiding over investigations into Trump associates Michael Cohen or Rudy Giuliani.

These events are a blow not only to the Justice Department, Rubin wrote, but to Trump's Republican allies in the Senate.

"The latest turn of events is more embarrassment for self-deluded Republicans like Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) who voted to acquit Trump during his impeachment trial and who thought Trump had learned his lesson," wrote Rubin. "This is one of many efforts to fire investigators (including three inspectors general) looking into Trump administration wrongdoing. (Let’s not forget Barr’s attempt to un-prosecute Michael Flynn after the latter pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.)"

"Almost lost in these gobsmacking events: We should not forget that newly revealed portions of the Mueller report suggest the special prosecutor’s team considered Trump may have lied about lack of foreknowledge of the WikiLeaks release of Hillary Clinton emails," wrote Rubin. "It is yet one more example of potential crimes for which Trump may be prosecuted once he leaves office. And the potential prosecutions for him and others sure are piling up."

"It is time for decent and honorable public servants at DOJ to quit and lay out the facts for the American people," concluded Rubin. "Most importantly, nothing could better highlight the need to remove Trump at the polls in November and bring his lawlessness to an end."

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