A senior US federal prosecutor whose office has been investigating President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, has refused to step down after the administration abruptly said it was replacing him.
The standoff marks the latest in series of unusual actions by Attorney General William Barr that critics say are meant to benefit Mr Trump politically and undermine the independence of the Justice Department.
It also comes as Mr Trump seeks to purge officials perceived as not fully supporting him. In recent weeks he has fired a series of agency watchdogs, including one who played a key role in his impeachment earlier this year.
Mr Barr, in a surprise announcement, said the US Attorney in Manhattan, Geoffrey Berman, was stepping down and that he would nominate Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton to take Mr Berman's spot.
Mr Berman, who leads a powerful office known for prosecuting high-profile terrorism cases, Wall Street financial crimes and government corruption, said he first learned of the move from Mr Barr's press release and would not go quietly.
"I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning my position," Mr Berman said in a statement. "I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate.Until then, our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption."
A Justice Department official, asked about Mr Berman's refusal to leave the post until a successor is confirmed, said the "timeline remains the same" as Mr Barr laid out in announcing the replacement.
Since being appointed in January 2018, Mr Berman has not shied from taking on figures in Mr Trump's orbit.
His office oversaw the prosecution of Michael Cohen, Mr Trump's former personal lawyer, indicted two Giuliani associates and launched an investigation into Mr Giuliani in connection with his efforts to dig up dirt on Mr Trump's political adversaries in Ukraine.
Prosecutors have not accused Mr Giuliani of wrongdoing.
Mr Berman's abrupt attempted dismissal came as the Justice Department asks a federal court to block publication of a book by former National Security adviser John Bolton, whose claims include an allegation Mr Trump tried to interfere with an investigation overseen by Mr Berman's office.
"This late night dismissal reeks of potential corruption of the legal process," Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat in the US Senate, wrote on Twitter. "What is angering President Trump? A previous action by this US Attorney or one that is ongoing?"
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, also a Democrat, said he intends to invite Mr Berman to testify.
Mr Berman replaced Preet Bharara, who was himself fired as US Attorney in early 2017 soon after Mr Trump became president.
Mr Bharara, an outspoken critic of the president, said the timing of the push to replace his successor was strange.
"Why does a president get rid of his own hand-picked US Attorney in SDNY on a Friday night, less than 5 months before the election?" Mr Bharara wrote on Twitter, referring to the upcoming US presidential election in November.
While the Senate considers Mr Clayton's nomination, Mr Trump has appointed Craig Carpenito, the US Attorney for the District of New Jersey, as the acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Mr Barr said in his statement.
But it was not clear whether Mr Barr can force Mr Berman out.
Mr Berman was never confirmed by the Senate, the usual process for appointing US Attorneys, and was instead appointed by the judges of the district in accordance with a US law that says he can serve until the vacancy is filled.
Mr Barr's announcement comes less than a week before Mr Nadler's committee is set to hold a hearing where Justice Departmen tofficials are set to testify about political interference at the department.
Earlier this year, Mr Barr intervened to scale back the sentencing recommendation for longtime Trump ally Roger Stone, prompting all four career prosecutors to withdraw from the case in protest.
