One day before being asked to resign, and two days before he was fired, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara was given a call by President Trump’s office. But he didn’t pick up and wouldn’t return the call, according to a report late Saturday.
After ignoring that call from Trump’s assistant, Bharara reached out to an adviser to Attorney General Jeff Sessions to explain he would not reply to the president’s direct overture because it would breach protocol, according to two unnamed sources cited by the New York Times.
The Justice Department demanded the resignation of 46 U.S. attorneys on Friday, including that of Bharara. He refused, and in a Saturday tweet Bharara said that he had been fired.
Left-wing figures questioned the Trump administration’s move, as Bharara was charged with investigating New York legislators and Wall Street firms, and that Trump reportedly asked Bharara to stay on back in November after he won the election.
It is unclear whether the purpose of the president’s call on Thursday, nor is it clear if Bharara’s contact with the Justice Department was a factor.
Matthew Miller, former spokesman for the Justice Department and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said the call was “[h]ighly inappropriate.”
“Trump shouldn’t be calling US attorneys in any event, but especially with his campaign under active DOJ investigation,” he said in a tweet.
