President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday will meet with Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara at Trump Tower in Midtown, The Post has learned.
The pow-wow between the two heavy hitters will focus on whether Wall Street- and political corruption-buster Bharara will remain as the Southern District’s top prosecutor.
It also comes on the one-year anniversary of Bharara’s winning a corruption conviction against former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, suggesting that Bharara will attempt to pitch his successes to keep his job.
“One year ago today, Sheldon Silver got justice, and at long last, so did the people of New York,” Bharara tweeted on Wednesday.
“Usually what happens is the president of a different party usually puts in own in his own US attorney, but we’ll have to see with on this one,” one source said, adding, “Should be interesting because Preet is high profile.”
Silver aside, Bharara is considered a trailblazing U.S. attorney, who has won convictions against some of New York’s most notorious white collar villains, corrupt politicians and international terrorists, including ex-NY Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and al Qaeda terrorist Khalid Al-Fawwaz.
During a Nov. 17 press conference, Bharara hinted that he didn’t want to leave his post.
“Have you put any thought into whether you would stay on in the Trump administration?,” a reporter asked him.
“I have said and I’ll say again, I love my job, I enjoy doing my job, I think we’re still doing great work here in the office. I serve at the pleasure of the president like every U.S. attorney does, and if and when our president decides to replace me, I’ll ride off into the sunset,” Bharara replied.
Others being considered for the plum position, included Rudy Giuliani’s ally Marc Mukasey, but he has yet to meet with Trump, a source said.
Mukasey served eight years as a prosecutor for the Southern District of New York.
He was also an attorney for the Securities and Exchange Commission.