In his new role as a civilian, former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has not shied from criticizing the Trump administration. But in a law school commencement address Thursday, he also went out of his way to praise ousted FBI Director James Comey. NY1's Bobby Cuza filed the following report.
By now, the story of Preet Bharara's firing is well-known. Asked by then-President-elect Donald Trump to stay on the job, Bharara was later asked to submit his resignation, refused, and was then was forced out. But he doesn't seem to mind reminding people.
"What was left out of the introduction about my term of service from 2009 to 2017, in 2017, in March, I was fired by the president of the United States," Bharara said.
Bharara said just two days later, he was asked to deliver New York Law School's commencement address, where he was also awarded an honorary degree Thursday.
Freed from the constraints of his public position, Bharara, now a visiting scholar at NYU Law School, often takes sly digs at Trump.
"I've been speaking my mind on certain things since I left office in various forums. One of those forums is Twitter. I mean, not as much as some people, but you know," he said.
In his remarks to graduates, Bharara also held up former FBI Director James Comey as an example of leadership. He told of the day in 2004 when Comey, then deputy attorney general, successfully stood up to the Bush White House on the issue of domestic surveillance.
"We may need more days like that one," Bharara said. "And I wonder, I really do wonder: Would that happen today?"
Bharara also asked graduates to consider public service at some point in their careers, noting he did it for 17-and-a-half years. He made no mention of whether he intends to return to it.