Preet Bharara, the tenacious prosecutor fired by Trump
An Indian-born, New Jersey-raised Bruce Springsteen fan, former Manhattan federal attorney Preet Bharara ascended to rock-star status in the straitlaced world of law for his aggressive skewering of public corruption and Wall Street crime. The federal attorney's dismissal capped his arm wrestle with the executive branch that started when Bharara -- perhaps the most high-profile US prosecutor in the nation -- flouted the White House order that he along with dozens of other US prosecutors resign. After former US President Barack Obama appointed him in 2009, Bharara had reigned over the high-profile Southern District of New York -- which includes the Manhattan and Bronx boroughs as well as areas just north of the city -- prosecuting corrupt public officials, gang kingpins, cyberhackers and terrorists.