Preet Bharara Gives First Major Address Since Being Fired As U.S. Attorney By Trump

EAST VILLAGE, NY — Former federal prosecutor Preet Bharara will speak publicly on Thursday night in his first major address since he was fired by President Donald Trump last month. Bharara's talk at Cooper Union quickly sold out, but you can watch it live here:

(His lecture is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m..)

The former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan, was given the pink slip after he refused to quit along with the dozens of Obama-appointed prosecutors who were asked to resign by Trump's justice department. It is not uncommon for presidents to ask prosecutors appointed by their predecessors to resign, although Trump had reportedly asked Bharara to stay in his post after his election.

His address at Cooper Union, which was scheduled before he was fired, quickly filled up after "overwhelming demand" for tickets, Cooper Union said.

On Thursday, the New York Times published Bharara's account of his firing in the first interview the prosecutor has given since he was ousted.

Bharara told the Times his firing was “a direct example of the kind of uncertain helter-skelter incompetence, when it comes to personnel decisions and executive actions, that was in people’s minds when this out-of-the-blue call for everyone’s resignation letter came.”

Many observers have speculated that the popular and media-friendly prosecutor will run for public office. Bharara announced that he's joining NYU's law school as a distinguished scholar in resident in April, but hasn't commented further on his possible political prospects.

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images News/Getty Images.