(Bloomberg) — Attorney General William Barr’s Justice Department designated a U.S. attorney’s office in New York state to coordinate and handle investigations and material related to Ukraine, including receiving information from President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.The department assigned Richard Donoghue, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, to be its point person for handling and sorting Ukraine-related matters, according to a letter sent Tuesday to House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler.“Any and all new matters relating to Ukraine shall be directed exclusively to EDNY for investigation and appropriate handling,” according to a memo accompanying the letter.The memo stated that “there currently are several distinct open investigations being handled by different U.S. Attorney’s Offices and/or Department components that in some way potentially relate to Ukraine.” The subject of the memo is “Coordination of Investigations.” It indicates the Justice Department is involved in far more Ukraine-related probes than may be publicly known.The policy could open a new line of attack against Barr and the Justice Department leadership after a tumultuous week in which the top U.S. law enforcement officer seized control of cases tied to Trump, prompting a team of prosecutors to step down in one high-profile case. Over the weekend, more than 2,000 former Justice Department officials signed a letter condemning the attorney general.Trump has repeatedly called for investigations regarding Ukraine, including into the activities of a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump has also given voice to discredited theories that Ukraine, not Russia, led efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.Read More: Trump, Barr Fuel DOJ Turmoil Over Cases Tied to White HouseThe memo released Tuesday says existing matters related to Ukraine will remain with the offices and components where they’re currently being handled but are now “subject to ongoing consultation with EDNY.”Any move …read more
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