Former New York U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara delivered praise for the term “deep state” if it refers to government officials who are upholding the rule of law and the Constitution.
Bharara’s comments on Bill Maher’s HBO show Friday refers to a conspiracy peddled by President Trump and some Republicans in Congress that the FBI and national intelligence apparatus are working to undermine the Trump administration.
“By deep state, if you mean professionals who are consummate professionals who understand what continuity means, who understand what the Constitution is, who don’t care about party, who don’t care about politics, who do what is right and honor the law and honor the Constitution, then God bless the deep state,” said Bharara, a frequent critic of Trump.
Bharara’s comments came after President Trump earlier this week revoked the security clearance for former CIA Director John Brennan, another frequent critic of the president. The move caused an outcry from the intelligence community. Sixty former CIA officials condemned the move in a Friday letter to Trump. Another collection of 12 former intelligence officials also admonished Trump for the move.
Bharara served as the U.S. attorney for the district that included New York City. He was fired by President Trump in March 2017.
Bharara also criticized former U.S. Attorney and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is now serving as Trump’s personal attorney in relation to a federal probe into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.
“I think he has taken on an aura of someone who doesn’t remember what the truth is,” Bharara said.
