Trump tried to call New York prosecutor Bharara before firing him: source

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Two days before U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara was fired, the high-profile New York prosecutor declined to take a call from President Donald Trump, a U.S. law enforcement official said on Sunday.

Bharara contacted Justice Department headquarters for authorization to speak to the president on Thursday, according to detailed account from the law enforcement source. When he apparently did not receive it, he called back the woman who had contacted him to say he did not want to talk to Trump without the approval of his superiors.

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 and prosecutions of terrorism suspects. He was one of 46 Obama administration holdovers who were asked to resign by the Justice Department on Friday.

He said on Saturday he had been fired after he defied the request to resign. The move was a surprise because Bharara told reporters in November that Trump had asked him to remain in the job.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-tried-to-call-new-york-prosecutor-bharara-before-firing-him-source/ar-AAobe67?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=edgsp

[former9thward]

1. If you work for the president and decline to take a call from him

that is not a good career move. And yes, US Attorneys work for the president. They are directly appointed by him. If he was concerned by the subject matter of the call he always could have put the call on conference and had someone else listen in.

[PJMcK]

2. The linked article is odd

Although it's from Reuters, the story-telling is very strange, particularly the detail regarding Mr. Bharara's calls to his superiors. Did his boss really tell him to not speak with the president? That seems really weird to me. If Mr. Bharara's superiors didn't want him to talk to the president, why didn't they intervene and call the White House directly. You don't leave a subordinate hanging in the wind like that, especially with this president.

There's probably more to this story and the Reuters reporter has only a part of the picture.

[elleng]

4. I read elsewhere about existence of 'rules' concerning with whom prosecutors may converse.

I suspect Mr. Bharara was constrained by the existence of these rules/protocols, so was not free to do so. He should have been contacted by his 'superiors.'

[yeoman6987]

5. Oh please. He went running to trump tower. Can't take a phone call?

[elleng]

6. Maggie Haberman, NYT: Trump aide called Bharara Thursday, asked him to call back, Bharara couldn't.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028780637

[Kingofalldems]

7. And once again, yeoman6987, you jump in to defend Trump.

[EffieBlack]

8. He wasn't his boss then.

[Kingofalldems]

9. Ahhh---

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/03/winner-in-trumps-decision-to-fire-bharara-might-be-murdoch.html?ncid=newsltushpmgnews

[triron]

3. kick for visibility