Democrats, Republicans blast Trump over Preet Bharara’s dismissal
Following Preet Bharara’s announcement Saturday that he was “fired” from his position as the most prominent U.S. attorney in the nation, condemnation over his dismissal came quickly from Democrat — and even Republican — officials.
“Today, I was fired from my position as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York,” Bharara said in a statement Saturday. “Serving my country as U.S. attorney here for the past seven years will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life, no matter what else I do or how long I live.”
Bharara’s announcement came a day after the U.S. Department of Justice asked all U.S. attorneys remaining as holdovers from the Obama administration to step down.
New York Attorney General Eric T. Scheiderman blasted the Trump administration in a statement, and said Bharara “served with honor and distinction.”
“President Trump’s abrupt and unexplained decision to summarily remove over 40 U.S. Attorneys has once again caused chaos in the federal government and led to questions about whether the Justice Department’s vital and non-partisan work will continue under Attorney General Sessions, as it must,” Schneiderman said. Below are a few tweets.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) tweeted, “Preet Bharara was an excellent US attorney. Took on Wall St, public corruption & terrorists. He’ll be sorely missed.”
Preet Bharara was an excellent US attorney. Took on Wall St, public corruption & terrorists. He’ll be sorely missed.