There’s never a dull moment with President Trump, it seems. After refusing to submit a letter of resignation “requested by President Donald Trump’s administration,” Preet Bharara, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, was fired. For those who don’t know, President Trump called for the resignation of every US attorney, except for acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente “and the nominee to be his replacement as deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein.”
There’s never a dull moment with President Trump, it seems. After refusing to submit a letter of resignation “requested by President Donald Trump’s administration,” Preet Bharara, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, was fired. For those who don’t know, President Trump called for the resignation of every US attorney, except for acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente “and the nominee to be his replacement as deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein.”
According to a senior administration official, the request for the resignations is due to a desire for uniformity. The official said, “it’s important to have consistency and uniformity in matters like this.” However, the resignation requests and Bharara’s firing have many in Washington and around the country scratching their heads. In fact, a former FBI agent even referred to Bharara’s firing as crazy, saying “he is a rock star in the law enforcement community.”
Trump’s request for Bharara also came as a surprise to many, considering the fact that he had told the US attorney last November after a meeting that he would keep his job. According to sources, Bharara “felt blindsided by the move.”
Apparently, Trump had also assured Sen. Chuck Schumer that Bharara would keep his job. In a recent statement from the senator, he said that Trump had “assured me he wanted Mr. Bharara to continue to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District.” He then added:
“While it’s true that presidents from both parties made their own choices for U.S. attorney positions across the country, they have always done so in an orderly fashion that doesn’t put ongoing investigations at risk. They ask for letters of resignation, but the attorneys are allowed to stay on the job until their successor is confirmed.”
The call for immediate resignations before replacements are confirmed can also have legal ramifications, and will, according to Schumer, “interrupt ongoing cases and investigations and hindering the administration of justice.” In any case, it will certainly be interesting to see how things play out.
Sources:
US Attorney Bharara Fired in Standoff With President Trump
Trump’s Battle With Justice Department Leads to `You’re Fired’
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