Preet Bharara writing book on integrity, moral reasoning

New York, June 22 

India-born former top US federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, fired by President Donald Trump after he refused to quit, is writing a book in which he will talk about "integrity, leadership, decision making and moral reasoning".

The "as-yet-untitled" book by former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York will be published by Alfred A Knopf in early 2019, the leading publishing house said in a statement to PTI.

"This is not a book just about the law. It is a book about integrity, leadership, decision making and moral reasoning. It addresses what it means to do the right thing, how to avoid doing the wrong thing and the role of thoughtfulness in making the best choice," Bharara said in the statement.

Bharara said that the approach he will lay out in the book "applies not only to how federal laws are interpreted and enforced in courts around the country; it also informs how mature, thinking people make decisions in their communities, their workplaces and their homes".

The announcement was made by Sonny Mehta, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Alfred A Knopf, which acquired North American rights (including ebook and audio) from Elyse Cheney Associates, with Editor-at-Large Peter Gethers acting as the editor. The terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

"The law is merely an instrument and without the involvement of human hands, it is as lifeless and uninspiring as a violin kept in its case.

"People will regard a result as just if they regard the process leading to it as fair and if they believe the people responsible for it are fair-minded. That is the process I want to illuminate in this book," said Bharara.

During Bharara's seven-and-a-half-year tenure as US Attorney, he oversaw the prosecution of significant public corruption cases against New York City and New York State government officials, securing convictions against the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, and the Majority Leader of the State Senate, Dean Skelos.

His office also prosecuted cases involving terrorism, narcotics, arms trafficking, health-care fraud, cybercrime, gang violence, organised crime, and civil rights violations.

They also brought charges against nearly one hundred Wall Street executives for insider trading and other offences; and recorded historic settlements and fines with the four largest banks in the US. Bharara was fired by Trump in March.

"Never has the fair administration of justice felt more urgent in America, and Preet Bharara is ideally suited to explain both what that means and how to achieve it," said Gethers.

"As the one who has spent his life in search of truth and justice, Preet possesses insight and wisdom that has been hard-won. His book, using case studies and analysis, will prove to be an essential compass for all Americans, with application beyond the law, from colleges to corporate boardrooms, for students and parents, and for citizens everywhere," Gethers added.

"Bharara's life experience, coupled with his standing as a US Attorney and the cases he tried as prosecutor, makes him uniquely qualified to write this book. He will be an essential primer on justice for all Americans," said Mehta.

Bharara's firing was met with shock and criticism since then president-elect Trump had asked him in November to stay on in his position during a meeting at the Trump Towers.

In a sudden move, the Trump administration had asked the 46 US Attorneys across the country, who had been appointed by former president Barack Obama, to submit their resignations with immediate effect. Bharara had refused to resign and was fired. In march, he announced he was joining the New York University Law School as a distinguished scholar.

Since his firing, Bharara has become very vocal in his criticism of Trump's positions on various issues and the administration's policies, including the firing of FBI director James Comey and investigations into alleged interference by Russia in the presidential elections.

Bharara is a regular presence on Twitter and uses the microblogging site to air his views about the Trump administration and its decisions. — PTI