New York – NY U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara Says Trump Fired Him After He Refused To Step Down

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    FILE- In this Sept. 17, 2015 photo, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara speaks during a news conference in New York. The outspoken Manhattan federal prosecutor known for crusading against public corruption said on Saturday, March 11, 2017, that he was fired after refusing to resign. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)New York – A Manhattan federal prosecutor who says “absolute independence” was his touchstone for over seven years as he battled public corruption announced he was fired Saturday after he refused a day earlier to resign.

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    Preet Bharara, 48, revealed his firing on his personal Twitter account after it became widely known hours earlier that he did not intend to step down in response to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ request that leftover appointees of former President Barack Obama quit.

    “I did not resign. Moments ago I was fired,” Bharara said in the tweet.

    In a statement later, he said: “Serving my country as U.S. Attorney here for the past seven years will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life, no matter what else I do or how long I live. One hallmark of justice is absolute independence, and that was my touchstone every day that I served.”

    He said current Deputy U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim will serve as acting U.S. attorney.

    The Justice Department late Saturday confirmed Bharara was no longer U.S. attorney but declined to expound.

    Just over three months ago, then-President-elect Donald Trump asked Bharara to remain on the job and Bharara told reporters after the Trump Tower meeting that he had agreed to do so.

    Bharara was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2009. In frequent public appearances, Bharara has decried public corruption after successfully prosecuting over a dozen state lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans alike.

    Sessions’ decision to include Bharara’s name on the list of 46 resignations of holdovers from the Obama administration surprised Manhattan prosecutors.

    While it is customary for a new president to replace virtually all of the 93 U.S. attorneys, it often occurs at a slower pace. Sessions lost his position as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama in a similar sweep by then-Attorney General Janet Reno in 1993.

    Robert Morgenthau, a Democratic U.S. attorney in Manhattan, famously held out for nearly a year after Republican President Richard Nixon’s 1969 inauguration, saying he needed to see some important cases through. He ultimately left in January 1970, after the White House declared he was being replaced and announced a nominee.

    New York Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday that he was “troubled to learn” of the resignation demands, particularly of Bharara, since Trump called him in November and assured him that he wanted Bharara to remain in place.

    Bharara met Trump Nov. 30, saying afterward he’d been asked to remain in the job. Bharara, once lauded on the cover of Time magazine as the man who is “busting Wall Street” after successfully prosecuting dozens of insider traders, has in recent years gone after over a dozen state officeholders, — including New York’s two most powerful lawmakers.

    It also recently was revealed that his office is investigating the financial terms of settlements of sexual-harassment claims against Fox News by its employees.

    The request from Sessions came as Bharara’s office is prosecuting former associates of Democratic Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in a bribery case. Also, prosecutors recently interviewed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio as part of a probe into his fundraising. The mayor’s press secretary has said the mayor is cooperating and that he and his staff had acted appropriately.

    The request for resignations came just days after Trump last weekend claimed Obama tapped his telephones during last year’s election. FBI Director James Comey privately asked the Justice Department to dispute the claim because he believed the allegations were false. Bharara worked for Comey when he was U.S. attorney in Manhattan under President George W. Bush.

    Annemarie McAvoy, a former Brooklyn federal prosecutor, said it was not surprising Trump might want Bharara gone since there’s a good chance any subpoena seeking information about Trump campaign links to Russians would go through his office. She said it was also possible Trump wanted “to take out as many people as they can in the prior administration given the leaks and problems that they’re having.”

    Last week, the quick-witted Bharara initiated a new personal Twitter feed and sent an ominous message in which he linked an AP video of a Senate hearing focusing on whether federal prosecutors were fired for political reasons.

    “This Senate hearing on political interference @DOJ was 10 yrs ago today,” Bharara wrote. “Is that me in the background? Boy I’ve aged.”


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    29 Comments
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    Knokyankel
    Member
    Knokyankel
    7 years ago

    A great beginning for purim another המן is gone. נפול תפול

    hashomer
    hashomer
    7 years ago

    Some Federal Attorneys General were looking into Obama’s bugging of Trumpf. Of course that did not happen, and Herr Trumpf can’t provide a shred of evidence, so the investigations would turn on him. So the AGs suddenly needed to be fired. What an incompetent we have for President. Feh.

    7 years ago

    What a great besireh! Haman of der tliye!!! His sole goal in life was to dig up dirt on as many yiddn as he could& make people miserable just to demonstrate his power. We cldnt see how we’l ever be pootir from this Rasha. Wow! Hashem has His plans. Thank G D for this Haman hanging from the tree beyoim hapirim mamesh! I became the biggest fan of Trump now!

    PaulinSaudi
    PaulinSaudi
    7 years ago

    Seems to me he was a great prosecutor who went after the strong and corrupt. We will miss him,

    ralph1527
    ralph1527
    7 years ago

    I don’t know who will replace him . But he was another public official who thought the badge gave him a right to bulldoze in order to get what he wanted.

    rebbeice
    rebbeice
    7 years ago

    Remember this US Attorney was a cronie of Chuckie Shumer so had to go. Lets hope Chuckie the phony is next.

    Sol-Sol
    Sol-Sol
    7 years ago

    The so-called corruption fighter was the most corrupt prosecutor out there. He literally made up crimes (especially in high profile case) so he can enhance his career and resume’.
    Ethics reform should begin in his office, like not being able to run for any office for at least 5 years from now, if ever.
    The Mcdonall conviction being overturned by the US Supreme Court is a typical example of overzealous and corrupt prosecutions. Millions of dollars flushed down the toilet for corrupt prosecutoinal misconduct.
    Some insider trading convictions (even some that pled guilty) were also overturned due to some of “Preet’s made up crimes”, he’s far from a hero.
    Good riddance!

    ercsd
    ercsd
    7 years ago

    Anonymous-I guess you would be happier if the people got away with committing illegal acts. If they do something illegal they deserve to be a little miserable.
    He went after people who lied, stole and cheated and you rationalize it by implying that he was anti-semetic. If one obeyed the commandments they would have had nothing to worry about.

    7 years ago

    Note seriously that in later article on this same website it mentions that Bharara and Sessions agreed that Bharara should return Trump’s request to speak together. Again. Bharara refused to return Trump’s request to speak with him. This is like reading a Purim spiel.

    hashomer
    hashomer
    7 years ago

    Seems that so many ‘frum’ posters here side with the goniffim rather than on ‘Justice, Justice…’ Maybe Preet was coming after all the rashas in our kehillot?

    ercsd
    ercsd
    7 years ago

    Chaim-What does one Supreme Court decision have to do with Preet? You pick out one case from thousands what does that prove? You say he prosecuted people who didn’t break the laws-can you back up that statement? I don’t remember him being humorous in front of the camera-maybe you can back up that statement too.

    ercsd
    ercsd
    7 years ago

    Please give examples of Preet making up crimes and cases that were overturned by higher courts. You make accusations back them up.