YOU'RE FIRED

UPDATE BELOW
It was the best of times. 
It was the worst of times.
It was the Southern District of New York. 

Dramatis Personae: 
Donald J Trump, President of the United States of Citizens who reject science, education and experience. 
William Barr, Attorney General of the Unites States 
Geoffrey S. Berman, US Attorney for the Southern District Of New York
Jay Clayton, SEC Chairman

And so it came to pass that in the first years of his presidency, Donald Trump's then Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Geoffrey S. Berman as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. But never really happy with the appointment, or for that matter the AG who made it- (the President reportedly wanted to appoint one of his doormen at Trump Tower, or Kim Kardashian, who is currently studying for the California Bar) Trump did not send Berman's nomination to the Senate. 

The Judges of the SDNY, wise and learned all, stepped in at 120 days and appointed Berman as US Attorney because otherwise his appointment had run out. 

Berman did not tow the Trump line, and this weekend Attorney General Bill Barr flew to NYC ostensibly to meet with the police to speak with them about unhappy the President was with the way they were treating demonstrators. "A little more of the baton to the head" was the message. But the real purpose was the grease the skids of Berman's exit. So Barr offered Berman the head of DOJ Civil.  Pay attention now, things move fast. 

Berman turned the offer down. "Who wants to do civil instead of criminal?" he was overheard to rightly say. 
On Friday night Barr released a statement that Berman was leaving and Clayton would be nominated. 
Berman released his own statement saying he wasn't leaving and no one could make him leave unless Trump's appointee was confirmed by the Senate. 
On Saturday Barr ran crying to the President that Berman was hogging the slide at the playground and wouldn't leave. 
Trump then said to Berman the words he wants on his gravestone: "You're fired...and by the way Geoffrey is a lame name you dope. Who hired you anyway?"
Berman in turn showed up for work on Saturday with a briefcase full of important papers.
Clayton meanwhile sat in  the Starbucks around the corner from the SDNY ( a place Rumpole has spent many an hour at) cooling his heels, sipping a latte,  and wondering whether he needed to worry about the pump-and -dump of Hertz's stock come Monday morning. 

So....who is the US Attorney for the SDNY? 
No one knows. 

A glooming peace this morning with it brings.

The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head.

Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things.

Some shall be pardoned, and some punishèd.

For never was a story of more woe

Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

Of Trump and Barr, and their troubled US Attorney who wouldn't go. 

Long time and careful Blog readers are noting that we are posting at a furious rate. Politicians keep doing stupid things and we are trying to keep up. 

UPDATE: 
To put an end to this drama as only Trump can do, the following actions occurred late Saturday evening:
1)  The Attorney General wrote a second letter to Berman telling him he was fired.
2) The President then DENIED firing Berman, saying that was Barr's job. 
3) Berman resigned when, after barricading himself in his office he realized he would miss his Pelton ride the following day and break his 28 day streak. 
4) Jay Clayton, having spent about a dozen hours in the Starbucks around the corner from the SDNY waiting to be given the keys, was briefly hospitalized with caffeine intoxication. He is reported to be resting comfortably at home. 

POSTSCRIPT:
5) William Barr approached Justice Gorsuch and, in light of Gorsuch's support for LGBT rights, offered him the head of the Justice Department's Civil Division. Gorsuch turned him down, which means that next up is............Clayton is ordered to fire Gorsuch!