Ousted U.S. attorney Preet Bharara's investigations are likely to continue in the Southern District of New York, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The high-profile prosecutor, fired Saturday after refusing the Trump administration's call to resign Friday, leaves behind several high-profile investigations, including that of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
However, the deputy U.S. attorney of the Manhattan office and now interim head in Bharara's stead is Joon Kim, a longtime friend of Bharara's, the Journal reported. Kim has been personally involved in many of the investigations he inherits, according to the Journal.
"We anticipate that the work of the office will continue for the foreseeable future with minimal disruptions," a lawyer within the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office told the Journal.
Kim will oversee the office until a permanent replacement is named by the Justice Department. The Journal reports Marc Mukasey, son of former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, is believed a likely successor to Bharara.
Michael Mukasey, 75, was appointed attorney general by George W. Bush and testified on behalf of Attorney General Jeff Sessions during his confirmation hearing.
Bharara was among 46 U.S. attorneys who were holdovers from the Obama administration who were asked to resign, as is customary with a new administration.
Bharara, however, had been asked to stay on by President Donald Trump after winning the election, emboldening Bharara to resist resigning.
"Bharara's decision not to resign if anything will be considered a badge of honor in New York," Edward Little, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York told CNBC.
"Bharara's refusal to resign was probably a way of expressing his surprise and dissatisfaction with Trump's reneging on his promise to keep him in office."
The Manhattan office secured more than 80 insider-trading convictions in recent years under Bharara, the Journal reported.
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