ATTEND THE PRESIDENT’S FIRST
CAMPAIGN RALLY SINCE THE
PANDEMIC BEGAN.
BUT WE BEGIN WITH THE STANDOFF
AT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
PETE WILLIAM’S IS NBC’S JUSTICE
CORRESPONDENT, AND JOSH LEDERMAN
IS AN NBC NEWS NATIONAL
POLITICAL REPORTER LIVE AT THE
WHITE HOUSE.
PETE, WHAT MORE CAN YOU TELL US
ABOUT THIS ANNOUNCEMENT?
>> Reporter: THIS HAS BEEN A
RAPIDLY UNFOLDING THING OVER THE
PAST 12 HOURS.
WHAT HAPPENED IS LAST NIGHT THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNOUNCED IN A
PRESS RELEASE THAT THE PERSON
WHO IS NOW THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION JAY CLAYTON WOULD BE
TAKING OVER THE JOB OF U.S.
ATTORNEY IN MANHATTAN, AND
GEOFFREY BERMAN WAS STEPPING
DOWN IN TWO WEEKS.
THAT IMMEDIATELY PRODUCED A
BLISTERING REPLY FROM BERMAN WHO
SAID, OH, NO, I’M NOT.
I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
I HAVE NO INTENTION OF
RESIGNING.
I HAVEN’T RESIGNED AND I WILL
STAY IN THIS JOB UNTIL MY
SUCCESSOR IS CONFIRMED BY THE
SENATE BECAUSE, HE SAYS, HE WAS
APPOINTED BY A COURT.
SO WHAT HAPPENED IS NORMALLY THE
PRESIDENT OF THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL UNDER CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES CAN APPOINT A U.S.
ATTORNEY AND IF THERE’S A
VACANCY FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF
TIME, A COURT CAN APPOINT A U.S.
ATTORNEY, AND THAT’S HOW BERMAN
GOT THE JOB.
BERMAN CAME TO WORK THIS MORNING
SAYING I’M STILL A U.S. ATTORNEY
AND JUST A SHORT TIME AGO, THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL SENT BERMAN A
LETTER SAYING NO, I HAVE
DIRECTED THE PRESIDENT TO FIRE
YOU, AND YOU ARE FIRED AS OF
TODAY.
NOW, WHAT WE’RE TOLD HERE IS
THAT CLAYTON HAD APPROACHED THE
PRESIDENT AND SAID THAT HE WAS
INTERESTED IN THE JOB, THAT HE
WAS LEAVING THE S.E.C. JOB AND
WAS INTERESTED IN THE U.S.
ATTORNEY’S POSITION, AND THE
PRESIDENT BASICALLY SAID, FINE,
MAKE IT HAPPEN.
AS YOU KNOW, IT HAS SET OFF
ALARM BELLS BECAUSE AS YOU
MENTIONED, THE U.S. ATTORNEY’S
OFFICE IN NEW YORK IS
PROSECUTING TWO FORMER BUSINESS
ASSOCIATES OF RUDY GIULIANI, IS
DOING AN INVESTIGATION OF
GIULIANI’S BUSINESS PRACTICES
AND OTHER SENSITIVE CASES, AND
BERMAN’S STATEMENT SORT OF
SUGGESTED, YOU KNOW, I NEED TO
STAY AROUND TO MAKE SURE
EVERYTHING IS HANDLED ON THE UP
AND UP.
BARR FIRES BACK AT THAT IN HIS
LETTER TODAY SAYING YOU HAVE
CHOSEN PUBLIC SPECTACLE OVER
PUBLIC SERVICE BY INSISTING THAT
YOU’RE GOING TO STAY, AND THAT
YOU DON’T NEED TO STAY TO MAKE
SURE THINGS ARE HANDLED
APPROPRIATELY.
BARR SAYS HE HAS ASKED THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT’S INSPECTOR
GENERAL MICHAEL HOROWITZ TO
MONITOR WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE
U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE TO MAKE
SURE EVERYTHING IS HANDLED
APPROPRIATELY.
AND I SHOULD ADD THAT PEOPLE IN
THE U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE HAVE
TOLD US IN THE LAST 12 HOURS OR
SO THAT THEY DON’T KNOW OF ANY
PENDING CASE THAT WOULD CAUSE
THE ADMINISTRATION TO WANT TO
GET RID OF GEOFFREY BERMAN, SO
FROM WHAT WE KNOW, IT APPEARS TO
BE THE PRESIDENT WANTED A
DIFFERENT PERSON IN THE JOB,
WHETHER THE PRESIDENT HAD NO
LOVE FOR GEOFFREY BERMAN, THAT
MAY BE, BUT HE LIKED CLAYTON
BETTER.
THAT’S WHAT WE’RE TOLD THIS
TURNS OUT TO BE.
>> JOSH, DOES THAT COMPORT WITH
WHAT YOU’RE HEARING FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE?
>> Reporter: NOT WANTING TO TALK
A LOT ABOUT THIS TODAY BECAUSE
THEY REALLY WANT ATTORNEY
GENERAL BARR AND THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT TO BE TAKING THE LEAD
IN DISCUSSING THIS, AND SO THEY
HAVE BEEN DEFERRING QUESTIONS TO
THEM, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE
QUESTIONS THAT HAS COME UP
REPEATEDLY IN THE LAST 12 HOURS
OR SO IS IF WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE
AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ARE
SAYING IS CORRECT AS PETE WAS
JUST LAYING OUT, WHICH IS THAT
THIS ISN’T ABOUT TRYING TO KILL
SOME CASE THAT WAS ONGOING OR
STOP AN INVESTIGATION, BUT
MERELY THE PRESIDENT DECIDING HE
WANTED SOMEONE ELSE TO BE IN
THAT ROLE, THEN WHY DO IT IN
SUCH A CHAOTIC FASHION LIKE THIS
ON A FRIDAY NIGHT WITH THE U.S.
ATTORNEY APPARENTLY UNWITTING TO
THE FACT THIS WAS HAPPENING,
SAYING HE LEARNED ABOUT IT FROM
A PRESS RELEASE, WITHOUT
ACTUALLY HAVING A SENATE
CONFIRMED PERSON IN THE WINGS
READY TO TAKE OVER.
IT’S CREATED A LOT OF SMOKE AND
A LOT OF DEMOCRATS, PARTICULARLY
ON THE HILL SAYING WHERE THERE
IS SMOKE WITH THE ADMINISTERING,
THERE IS OFTEN FIRES AND THAT’S
WHY WE’RE SEEING A LOT MORE
QUESTIONS BEING RAISED EVEN AS
THE PRESIDENT TAKES THIS MOVE TO
FIRE THE U.S. ATTORNEY AND TRY
TO PUT SOMEONE ELSE IN THIS JOB.
>> PETE, I WONDER WHAT YOU MAKE
OF THE WAY THIS IS NOW PLAYING
OUT IN PUBLIC?
>> Reporter: WELL, WHAT WE’RE
TOLD BY THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
PEOPLE IS THAT THEY HAD
APPROACHED BERMAN EARLIER, THAT
HE IN ESSENCE KNEW THIS WAS
COMING, THAT THEY TOLD HIM THAT
THE PRESIDENT WANTED CLAYTON FOR
THE JOB, AND THAT THEY OFFERED,
AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, BARR
SAYS AS MUCH NOW IN THE LETTER,
THAT THEY OFFERED HIM EITHER THE
JOB OF CHAIRMAN OF THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION, THE JOB JAY CLAYTON
WAS LEAVING OR THE ASSISTANT
ATTORNEY GENERAL IN THE CIVIL
DIVISION IN THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT, STRICTLY A CHAIN OF
COMMAND POSITION A STEP UP AND