A top federal prosecutor has issued a statement saying he has not resigned, despite the US Justice Department announcing he was stepping down.
Geoffrey Berman, the US Attorney in Manhattan, said he learned he was "stepping down" in a press release issued by US Attorney-General William Barr on Friday evening.
Mr Barr gave no reason for the move.
He said Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Jay Clayton would be nominated to succeed Mr Berman.
Mr Berman has overseen the prosecution of a number of US President Donald Trump's associates since he took office in 2018.
They include President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, who has served a prison sentence for lying to Congress, the US legislature, and election campaign finance fraud. Mr Berman's department has also been investigating the conduct of Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trump's current personal lawyer.
He is also leading the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and who earlier this month accused Prince Andrew of "shutting the door" on his probe.
In his statement, Mr Berman said had "no intention of resigning", adding he would only step down when a successor had been confirmed by Congress.
Mr Berman was appointed to his position by a court, making it unclear whether President Trump has the legal authority to remove him, BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher says.
Senior Democrats have accused Mr Barr of politicising the US Justice Department and making legal decisions at the behest of President Trump.
The row comes days after former National Security Adviser John Bolton said in a book that President Trump had pressed Mr Berman's office to halt an investigation into the Turkish Halkbank in a bid to make a deal with Turkey's president.-BBC
