Trump's personal lawyer reportedly bragged he got Preet Bharara fired

Marc Kasowitz.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

President Trump's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, reportedly bragged to his friends that he played a major role in the firing of U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York Preet Bharara, ProPublica reports. Kasowitz reportedly egged on Trump's decision by warning him Bharara was "going to get you," people familiar with the culmination of events said.

Bharara had initially been asked to stay on at his job by President Trump last November, but was abruptly fired by the administration in March after he refused to resign at the request of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who asked for the resignation of 46 Obama-appointed district attorneys in the Justice Department. At the time, Bharara's office was investigating Trump's health and human services secretary, Tom Price.

"Those who know Kasowitz say he is sometimes prone to exaggerating when regaling them with his exploits," ProPublica writes. "But if true, his assertion adds to the mystery surrounding the motive and timing of Bharara's firing."

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Kasowitz became a nationally recognized figure last week, after he acted as Trump's designated spokesman to respond to former FBI Director James Comey's landmark Senate testimony.Kasowitz's claimed role in the Bharara firing appears to be a sign that the New York lawyer has been inserting himself into matters of governance and not just advising the president on personal legal matters. [ProPublica]

Bharara, for his part, seems to be taking the news just fine. Jeva Lange

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.