The counsel that led the questioning of witnesses for the Democrats during the House impeachment investigation will step down from his position on the House Intelligence Committee.
Daniel Goldman, who earned the nickname “Mob Buster” after prosecuting La Cosa Nostra in New York, joined the committee at the beginning of this session of Congress as the director of investigations. He led the questioning of government officials during the investigation into whether President Trump committed impeachable offenses related to the freeze on military aid meant for Ukraine.
Trump was impeached by the House but was acquitted of two charges by the GOP-led Senate in early February.
Goldman told CNN it was “an honor of a lifetime” to work for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, adding that they worked to “help provide a vital check on the president, as the Constitution requires Congress to do.”
“I’m indebted to my colleagues for working tirelessly in pursuit of that objective,” he said. “While I am eager to return to New York to spend some much-needed time with my family, I know that the committee’s work will continue apace under Chairman Schiff’s leadership.”
Goldman, who previously was a top prosecutor at the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York, is the third House Democratic adviser to leave his post since the president was acquitted in the Senate. The other two, Barry Berke and Norm Eisen, served as top advisers on the House Judiciary Committee, which also held impeachment hearings, before they left their roles.
“Over the past year, Dan Goldman has provided strategic guidance, wise counsel and steady leadership to our Committee through a turbulent, but critical time,” Schiff, a California Democrat, said in a statement. “We know that the team Dan helped us build from scratch will continue their important work, and while we will all miss him in the committee, we know that his family is excited to get him back.”
