Preet Bharara gets resounding farewell from staff, colleagues

Indian-born former top US prosecutor Preet Bharara got a resounding farewell from his staff and colleagues here as he left his office after being fired by the Trump administration.

Staff and colleagues lined up on the stairs outside the Southern District of New York (SDNY) office in lower Manhattan to bid farewell to Bharara, according to a CNBC Now video.

The video, which was posted on Twitter on March 13, shows the SDNY staff cheering and applauding as Bharara walks out of the building for a final time.

Bharara makes his way down the stairs, greeting his employees and colleagues lined up on both sides behind a barricade. Exchanging pleasantries, he stops to shake the hands of his staff and colleagues, giving them hug and pats on the shoulder.

As reporters on the scene tried to question him on his firing, Bharara says, "this is the best prosecutor's office you'll ever see" and walks away.

The Trump administration had on Friday ordered 46 US Attorneys appointed by President Barack Obama to resign with immediate effect. Bharara had refused to submit his resignation and had tweeted on March 11 that he had been fired.

"I did not resign. Moments ago I was fired. Being the US Attorney in SDNY will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life," he had said in the tweet.