New York U.S. Attorney recuses himself from Cohen investigation

Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, has recused himself from the investigation into President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen.

On Monday, FBI agents raided Mr. Cohen’s home, office and a hotel where he was staying and seized numerous documents related to money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Although the raid was executives by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the man in charge of that office, interim U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman had recused himself from the investigation. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was said to have approved Mr. Berman’s recusal.

Mr. Berman, a Trump appointee, donated $5,400 to the president’s 2016 campaign, the New York Times reported in 2017. He volunteered for Mr. Trump’s New Jersey campaign operation and was once a law partner with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giluiani, one of the president’s top advocates during the election.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.

Mr. Berman has served as the interim U.S. Attorney since January, after Mr. Trump fired the previous U.S. Attorney, Preet Bharara. A federal prosecutor for 30 years, Mr. Berman will remain an interim U.S. Attorney until he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate. It is not known when a confirmation hearing will occur and one has not been scheduled.

Mr. Bharara, who was fired in January by Mr. Trump, said in a Tuesday afternoon Tweet that Mr. Berman’s recusal, “makes sense.”

Monday’s raid was based on a referral by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian collusion in the U.S. election. However, the raid is not directly tied to the Russia probe.

FBI agents seized thousands of documents, including tax records, business papers and emails between Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen. Federal agents may have been looking for evidence related to Mr. Cohen’s $130,000 payment to Stephanie Clifford, who is better known as Stormy Daniels. Ms. Clifford claims she had an affair with Mr. Trump in 2006 and was paid by Mr. Cohen just before the 2016 election to keep quiet about the relationship.

Mr. Trump told reports last week he was unaware of the payment to Ms. Clifford or the source of the funds.

“You’ll have to ask Micheal Cohen,” the president told reports on Air Force One. “Michael is my attorney. You’ll have to ask Michael.”

The president slammed the Cohen raid in a series of Tweets Tuesday morning, calling it a “a total witch hunt” and that “attorney-client privilege is dead.”