Preet Bharara, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York whom President Donald Trump fired in March, is joining CNN as a legal analyst, the network announced Wednesday.
CNN also hired former Director of the United States Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub, who resigned in July, as a contributor. At the time, Shaub said the government’s ethics were “pretty close to a laughingstock.”
Bharara has been a critic of the Trump administration since being fired in March — just months after getting personal assurance from the president that he would remain in his job as a top federal prosecutor.
“Had I not been fired, and had Donald Trump continued to cultivate a direct personal relationship with me, it’s my strong belief at some point, given the history, the president of the United States would’ve asked me to do something inappropriate,” said Wednesday on his podcast, “Stay Tuned With Preet,” which he launched after being fired as a federal prosecutor.
He said he would have resigned if asked to do something wrong.
Bharara has been a consistent critic of Trump, and his first appearance on CNN as a legal analyst on Sunday’s “State of the Union.”
CNN PR confirms @mlcalderone's scoop — @PreetBharara's first analyst appearance will be on @CNNSOTU this Sunday https://t.co/kudzgyWpC0
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 21, 2017
Bharara has made recent appearances on “The Daily Show” and ABC’s “This Week,” where he spoke with George Stephanopolous on the Trump administration.
He is also an executive vice president at his brother’s media company, Some Spider Studios, and in April joined New York University’s Law School as a distinguished scholar in residence.
Politico first reported the news of Bharara’s hiring.