NEW YORK _ A federal judge extended the term of the prosecutor whose office is investigating President Donald Trump's lawyer.
The Trump administration in January appointed Geoffrey Berman, then a law partner to Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan on a temporary, 120-day basis rather than nominating a candidate to the U.S. Senate for confirmation. His term was set to expire next week. On Wednesday, the chief judge in the district appointed Berman to continue as U.S. Attorney until a Senate-confirmed candidate takes office.
Berman has recused himself from the probe of Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for unspecified reasons, and the investigation is being overseen by Robert Khuzami, who holds the office's No. 2 post.
Berman was appointed after then-U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara was fired by Trump, along with dozens of other top prosecutors, in March 2017. Bharara's deputy, Joon Kim, served in the role in an acting capacity for the remainder of 2017.
