A prominent US federal prosecutor in New York City has been fired by President Donald Trump’s administration after refusing to resign as directed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions who demanded that all Obama-appointed federal attorneys step down.
Preet Bharara, a Manhattan federal prosecutor known for his anti-public corruption campaign, announced on Saturday that he was sacked by Trump, who had asked him months ago that he wants him to stay on board.
“I did not resign. Moments ago I was fired. Being the US Attorney in SDNY (Souther District of New York) will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life,” Bharara said in a tweet message.
Although US attorneys are commonly substituted at the beginning of new administrations, the decision to sack Bharara came as a surprise since he reportedly met in November with then President-elect Trump, who specifically asked him to remain Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor and he accepted the offer.
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