India-born top US prosecutor Preet Bharara, known for his crusade against corruption, has been "fired" by the Trump administration after he refused to quit following orders to the 46 Barack Obama-appointed attorneys to resign immediately.
Bharara tweeted about the incident, making a reference to his jurisdiction of the Southern District of New York (SDNY):
I did not resign. Moments ago I was fired. Being the US Attorney in SDNY will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life.
— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) March 11, 2017
Bharara, 48, one of the most high-profile federal prosecutors in the US, had been asked by the acting deputy attorney general a day earlier to immediately submit his resignation.
In a statement later in the day, Bharara said,
In 2013, the attorney was at the centre of the controversy related to the arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade.
Bharara's jurisdiction covered the US financial capital, earning him the nickname of "Sheriff of Wall Street". He prosecuted more than 100 finance executives for criminal activities like stock trading irregularities using insider information.
Bharara also went on to reiterate that he had faith in the SDNY.
Earlier, sources close to Bharara had said that the Manhattan federal prosecutor had refused to submit his resignation, in effect preparing for a showdown with President Donald Trump.
The order by acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente asking the 46 remaining federal attorneys to resign was met with shock by Bharara's office since Trump had last year in November asked him to stay on under his administration.
Bharara had met Trump at the Trump Towers in Manhattan shortly after the Republican won the presidential elections.
Talking to reporters following his meeting with Trump, Bharara had said that he was asked by Trump to remain in his current post at the meeting and he had agreed to do so.
Charles Schumer, Senate Minority leader, condemned the move, hailing Bharara as "an exemplary US attorney".
Schumer, a New York Democrat, was quoted as saying that he was "troubled" to learn of the Trump administration's request for Bharara's and other US attorneys' resignations.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)