Tag: Preet Bharara

Preet Bharara Calls for Independent Probe of Trump’s Russia Ties

Ajay GhoshProfiles 0

Preet Bharara, the Indian American prosecutor who was fired by the Trump administration in March, has called for the appointment of an independent counsel to lead the investigation into allegations that Russia tampered with the 2016 presidential election, the media reported.

The former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Bharara, in an op-ed published May 14 in the Washington Post, said the move would be “common sense,” especially given last week’s dismissal of former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey.

Comey was heading the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s alleged links with Trump’s presidential win. “Jim Comey was once my boss and remains my friend. I know that many people are mad at him. He has at different times become a cause for people’s frustration and anger on both sides of the aisle. Some of those people may have a point… I am proud to know a man who had the courage to say no to a president,” Bharara wrote. “And in the tumult of this time, many should be asking, Are there still public servants who are prepared to say no to the president?” he wrote.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority leader, called for a special prosecutor in the investigation of ties between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, after the president fired FBI Director James Comey. “I have said from the get-go that I think a special prosecutor is the way to go, but now with what’s happened it is the only way to go,” Schumer told reporters on Tuesday.

The FBI had been investigating Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election as well as any possible links to the Trump campaign, as part of its counterintelligence mission.

Schumer called on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint a special prosecutor in the Russia probe. “Mr. Rosenstein, America depends on you to restore faith in our criminal justice system, which is going to be badly shattered after the administration’s actions today,” Schumer said.

Bharara said a special prosecutor must be “independent and uncompromised” and that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is now overseeing the Russia investigation after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from it, must appoint one. “Given the manner of Comey’s firing and the pretextual reasons proffered for it, there is no other way,” he wrote. “History will judge this moment,” Bharara said. “It’s not too late to get it right, and justice demands it.”

Preet Bharara to teach at NYU School of Law

Ajay GhoshCommunity, Profiles 0

Preet Bharara, the former U.S. attorney who was fired by Trump administration after refusing to resign earlier this month, is headed to the NYU School of Law. Bharara will join the law school as a distinguished scholar in residence starting April 1, the university announced on March 21, 2017.

“I am honored to join the NYU School of Law, one of the great educational institutions in America, and I welcome the chance to contribute in such a thoughtful setting,” Bharara said in a statement through the school. “I am thrilled for this opportunity to continue addressing the issues I so deeply care about — criminal and social justice, honest government, national security, civil rights, and corporate accountability, to name a few.”

Other distinguished scholars in residence at the school typically pursue their own research, participate in panel discussions and student forums, and collaborate with various centers devoted to specific areas of law and public policy.

The position is considered a full-time one with the school but does not preclude Bharara from taking on other engagements, NYU law spokesman Michael Orey told The Washington Post. “He may also teach, but we have no specifics on that at this time,” Orey said.

Bharara is no stranger to the NYU campus. He had previously given talks and participated in panel discussions at the law school, including one last January on cybersecurity and another in 2015 on insider trading prosecutions and public corruption. Bharara was also the law school’s convocation speaker in 2015.

“Speak simply and listen intently. Those are the hallmarks of great leaders, not just great lawyers,” he told the graduating class then. “The law is merely an instrument, and without the involvement of human hands, the law is as lifeless and uninspiring as a violin kept in its case.”

Bharara graduated from Harvard College and Columbia Law School. On March 11, Bharara’s nearly eight-year tenure as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York came to an abrupt end after he said he was fired. Bharara had refused to tender his resignation after the Justice Department asked all 46 U.S. attorneys appointed by President Barack Obama to leave their offices.

Bharara had developed a reputation for being one of the most influential and independent prosecutors in the country, best known for going after Wall Street as well as members of both political parties.

In 2015, The Washington Post’s Sally Jenkins described Bharara as “the most powerful prosecutor in the country” for whom “no target is apparently too big.” Bharara also had developed a reputation for wit and outspokenness; FBI Director James B. Comey said the impression he gave was “if Jon Stewart was a prosecutor.”

During his tenure, Bharara has indicted 17 prominent New York politicians for malfeasance — 10 of them Democrats, Jenkins reported. He also investigated New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo after he closed an ethics commission. In 2012, he was named one of Time Magazine’s most influential people.

Preet Bharara’s investigation of HHS Secretary Tom Price cost him job

Ajay GhoshProfiles, U.S. 0

Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who was removed from his post by the Trump administration on March 11, was overseeing an investigation into stock trades made by the president’s health secretary, according to a person familiar with the office.

According to reports, Tom Price, head of the Department of Health and Human Services, came under scrutiny during his confirmation hearings for investments he made while serving in Congress. The Georgia lawmaker traded hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of shares in health-related companies, even as he voted on and sponsored legislation affecting the industry.

Price testified at the time that his trades were lawful and transparent. Democrats accused him of potentially using his office to enrich himself. One lawmaker called for an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, citing concerns Price could have violated the STOCK Act, a 2012 law signed by President Obama that clarified that members of Congress cannot use nonpublic information for profit and requires them to promptly disclose their trades.

The investigation of Price’s trades by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which hasn’t been previously disclosed, was underway at the time of Bharara’s dismissal, someone familiar with the investigation was reported to have said.

Asked about this report during an appearance today on ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” Tom Price said he and his lawyers haven’t received any indication of a federal investigation into his stock trades. “I know nothing about that whatsoever,” Price said.

In December, the Wall Street Journal reported that Price traded more than $300,000 worth of shares in health companies over a recent four-year period, while taking actions that could have affected those companies. Price, an orthopedic surgeon, chaired the powerful House Budget Committee and sat on the Ways and Means Committee’s health panel.

Bharara was one of 46 U.S. attorneys asked to resign after Trump took office. It is standard for new presidents to replace those officials with their own appointees. But Bharara’s firing came as a surprise because the president had met with him at Trump Tower soon after the election. As he left that meeting, Bharara told reporters Trump asked if he would be prepared to remain in his post, and said that he had agreed to stay on.

When the Trump administration instead asked for Bharara’s resignation, the prosecutor refused, and he said he was then fired. Trump has not explained the reversal, but Bharara fanned suspicions that his dismissal was politically motivated via his personal Twitter account.

Along with the Price matter, Bharara’s former office is investigating allegations relating to Fox News, and has been urged by watchdog groups to look into payments Trump has received from foreign governments through his Manhattan-based business. Bharara’s former deputy, Joon Kim, is now in charge of the office, but Trump is expected to nominate his replacement.

The crusading prosecutor – dubbed the “sheriff of Wall Street” – was the only Indian American U.S. attorney in the nation. Acting deputy Attorney General Dana Boente had called US Attorney Preet Bharara and told him President Trump was firing him, hours after he announced he would not resign under the guidance of a directive issued a day earlier by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Responding to his firing, the crusader on corruption, said, “By the way,” Bharara said in a second tweet, “now I know what the Moreland Commission must have felt like.” Bharara was referring to a commission that was launched by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2013 to investigate state government corruption, only to be disbanded by the governor the next year as its work grew close to his office. “I did not resign. Moments ago I was fired. Being the U.S. Attorney in SDNY will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life no matter what else I do or how long I live,” Bharara tweeted mid-morning March 11. “One hallmark of justice is absolute independence, and that was my touchstone every day that I served,” Bharara said.

Preet Bharara to take on corruption in NY City Hall

Staff ReporterProfiles, U.S. 0

Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, is scheduled to meet with Mayor Bill de Blasio, in connection with investigation into possible corruption at City hall, news reports said. The Indian American Preet Bharara’s meeting with de Blasio, which will be held in the next two weeks without the protection of immunity.

The feds first began zeroing in on the mayor last October when they subpoenaed thousands of ­e-mails and documents from his office pertaining to his 2013 campaign and nonprofit group, the Campaign for One New York, the New York Post said in a report Jan. 27.

It said that the nonprofit was shut down and “is charged with promoting the mayor’s progressive agenda,” including eliminating income ­inequality, gentrification and police brutality.

According to the Post report, it allegedly funneled money from wealthy donors into de Blasio’s campaign coffer. The nonprofit’s campaign finance director, Ross Offinger, has been under scrutiny for his role in the operation.

The Post report said that sources told the station that the mayor is convinced he can prove to investigators that he has not traded government favors for political donations during his time in office.

 

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