Preet Bharara, a former US attorney in the southern district of New York, said in a Saturday television interview that "there is absolutely evidence to begin a case" of obstruction of justice against the president.
In hedging his assertion, Bharara clarified that, "It's very important to be clear that no one knows right now whether there is a provable case of obstruction," while simultaneously claiming that "there is also no basis to say there is no obstruction," according to the Washington Examiner.
With his Saturday interview, Bharara — a naturalized US citizen born in India — spoke for the first time since he was fired by the Trump administration for reasons that have never been made clear.
Commenting on the recent Congressional testimony of former FBI Director James Comey — also fired by Trump, and also for unclarified reasons — Bharara affirmed that he agreed with Comey, who, like Bharara, also disputes the nature of conversations he had with the president.
"The president seems to have a reputation of saying things that are not true," Bharara said of his "uncomfortable" conversations with Trump.
The former federal employee detailed three phone calls initiated by Trump that made him feel "a bit uncomfortable," while the latter was president-elect and when he became president. Bharara also noted that his previous boss, former US President Barack Obama, never called him.
"It appeared he was trying to cultivate some kind of relationship," Bharara said of Trump, cited by the Washington Examiner.
Terminated by the president some 22 hours after refusing to return a third and last phone call, Bharara stated that he still has "no idea why I was fired."
"It doesn't bother me," the former US attorney asserted, "I am living a great life very happily."
