Preet Bharara agrees to stay on as U.S. attorney in New York under Trump
Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, has decided to stay on in his top prosecutor post under the incoming administration, following a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday.
Bharara, whose jurisdiction over Wall Street puts him in the running as one of the Justice Department’s most powerful prosecutors, spoke with reporters briefly after his meeting with Mr. Trump.
The U.S. attorney said he was asked by Mr. Trump to stay on with his post.
“I said absolutely,” Bharara told reporters. He noted that he had a “good meeting” with the president-elect.
Bharara said he spoke with Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, who also asked him to continue his tenure. Sessions is the president-elect’s choice for attorney general.
Among Bharara’s notable accomplishments: the successful prosecution of top investment bankers and financial industry figures for insider trading and corruption, which has earned him the nickname “Sheriff of Wall Street.” Bharara also successfully prosecuted a top al Qaeda lieutenant for his role in the 1998 Tanzania and Kenya embassy bombings that took the lives of over 200 people.