Preet Bharara among 46 US attorneys asked to quit by Donald Trump administration

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has asked for the resignation of the Indian-American “crusader” prosecutor Preet Bharara and 45 other US attorneys, who were appointed by former President Barack Obama, to ensure a “uniform transition”.

The Trump administration has asked for the resignation of the Indian-American “crusader” prosecutor Preet Bharara and 45 other US attorneys, who were appointed by former President Barack Obama, to ensure a “uniform transition”.

In all there are 93 US attorneys. Many of them have already left their positions, but 46 attorneys who stayed on in the first weeks of the Trump administration have been asked by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign “in order to ensure a uniform transition,” Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said yesterday.

Defending the move, Flores in a statement said that both the George W Bush and Bill Clinton administrations made similar requests at the beginning of their term. Among those asked to resign included Bharara, the US Attorney General for Southern District of New York, who was appointed by Obama in 2009. Bharara, who has earned the reputation of a “crusader” prosecutor, had met Trump in November after his electoral victory. Following the meeting, media reports said that Trump had asked Bharara to stay.

Neither the White House, nor the Department of Justice responded to the questions on Bharara. 48-year-old Bharara has made a national and international mark for himself with many high-profile cases and investigations including foreign countries, insider trading and those involving US politicians. It was under his prosecution that India-born former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta was convicted for insider trading in 2012.