Ex-US attorney Bharara, fired by Trump, joins NYU law school

Former Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara, whom President Donald Trump fired earlier this month, will join New York University‘s (NYU) law school on April 1 as a distinguished scholar in residence, the school announced on Tuesday.

Bharara said in a statement provided by the school he was honoured to join NYU and welcomed the 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.”

Bharara will be expected to collaborate with the school’s research centres including those focused on cyber security and criminal law as well as participate in panel discussions and other events, school spokesman Michael Orey said.

The position is considered full-time, but will not preclude Bharara from taking on other engagements, Orey said. He declined to disclose Bharara’s compensation.

Bharara was fired by Trump on March 11 after refusing to step down. He had been among 46 US attorneys who were told a day earlier to submit their resignations.

Bharara departs after speaking to members of the news media after meeting with Trump at Trump Tower in New York, on Nov 30, 2016. Source: Reuters/Mike Segar

The firing was a surprise because Bharara had told reporters in November Trump had asked him to remain in the job.

As the chief federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan, Bharara oversaw several notable corruption and white-collar criminal cases, as well as other high-profile cases involving national security or people suspected of links to designated foreign terrorist organisations.

A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School, Bharara has been a frequent visitor to NYU, the law school said in the statement.

Other people who hold the distinguished scholar in residence position at NYU’s law school include New Jersey former attorney-general Anne Milgram, and Robert Bauer, a past White House counsel under former president Barack Obama.

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