Preet Bharara Is Fired After Refusing to Step Down as U. S. Attorney -
By MAGGIE HABERMAN and BENJAMIN WEISERMARCH 11, 2017
Preet Bharara, the Manhattan federal prosecutor who was asked by President Trump to remain in his post
shortly after the election, was fired on Saturday after he refused an order to submit his resignation.
Two White House officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the promise to keep Mr. Bharara on was a product of a chaotic transition process
and Mr. Trump’s desire at the time to try to work with Senator Chuck Schumer, with whom Mr. Bharara is close.
In November, Mr. Bharara met at Trump Tower with the president-elect and several of his advisers, including Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, according to two people briefed on
that discussion who requested anonymity to describe a private meeting with Mr. Trump.
The Southern District of New York, which Mr. Bharara has overseen since 2009, encompasses Manhattan, Mr. Trump’s home
before he was elected president, as well as the Bronx, Westchester, and other counties north of New York City.
But Mr. Bharara, who was called to Trump Tower for a meeting with the incoming president in late November, declined to do so.