U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr said Saturday that President Trump had fired the top federal prosecutor in New York, ending an unprecedented standoff between Barr and U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman, who had resisted being removed from his post. Barr informed Berman of the president’s move in a letter, explaining that Berman’s deputy, Audrey Strauss, would serve as the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan until the Senate can confirm a permanent replacement. Under Berman, the office managed a number of sensitive investigations involving people close to Trump, including his personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani.

The extraordinary day-long fight between Barr and the nation’s most powerful U.S. attorney deepened alarm over Barr’s management of the Justice Department, generating fresh accusations the attorney general is placing the president’s interests above those of the public.

The president denied interference in the decision to fire Berman, despite Barr’s contention otherwise.