Trump sends Bharara packing
SPRING CLEANING Indian American ‘Sheriff of Wall Street’, 45 other Obama appointees fired by US attorney general
US President Donald Trump has asked 46 United States attorneys to step down, including Preet Bharara, the high-profile Indian American who as head of the Southern district of New York had jurisdiction over Wall Street.
All were nominees of former President Barack Obama, and there was nothing unusual in their firing — former President Bill Clinton had sacked more than 90 in a day — but some have objected to the manner in which the resignations were sought.
“As was the case in prior transitions, many of the United States Attorneys nominated by the previous administration already have left the department of justice,” Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores, wrote in an email cited by The New York Times.
“The attorney general (Jeff Sessions) has now asked the remaining 46 presidentially appointed US attorneys to tender their resignations in order to ensure a uniform transition,” she said
There was some confusion if all resignations will be accepted — Trump called two on the list to reject their resignations. Bharara was not one of them.
US attorneys prosecute fed- eral crimes, and Bharara had built a reputation for pursuing securities crimes that had earned him the sobriquet “Sheriff of Wall Street” — among his most famous convictions was that of fellow Indian-American Rajat Gupta, formerly the head of McKinsey and director Goldman Sachs.
His sacking was most surprising, considering he had apparently been asked by Trump to continue. The attorney in November had said that Trump asked him to stay on. An intruder with a backpack was arrested after breaching the White House grounds, media reports said.
The Secret Service said the suspect was arrested after he scaled a fence around the White House grounds on Friday. His backpack was searched and no hazardous material was found.