SHOWDOWN: U.S. Attorney Defies Sessions’ Demand to Resign – UPDATE: FIRED!

Manhattan federal prosecutor Preet Bharara flouted Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ demand that he and 45 other U.S. attorneys hand in their resignations.

Mr. Bharara, whose office is overseeing a case against a top aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and an investigation into people close to Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City, has told several people that he did not hand in a resignation on Friday, as he was ordered to do.

Bharara, an Obama-appointed holdover, had also told associates that he had no plans to tender his resignation over the weekend which could force Sessions into the difficult position of firing him or stepping back from his earlier demand.

Preet is a well-known prosecutor who has successfully gone after corrupt, high-profile government officials from both parties. The New York attorney was also given assurances in November from then President-elect Trump that he would be able to keep his position.

Bharara said that then president-elect Trump had asked to see him to discuss “whether or not I’d be prepared to stay on as the United States attorney to do the work as we have done it, independently, without fear or favor for the last seven years.” “We had a good meeting,” Mr. Bharara said. “I said I would absolutely consider staying on. I agreed to stay on.”

It would appear that Mr. Bharara is dared the Trump administration to fire him and leaft them no choice but to do so.

UPDATE: Preet Bharara has tweeted that he has been fired.