Democrats
By Aliyah Frumin
Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, rattled the political establishment in Albany on Thursday following the arrest of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for allegedly pocketing $4 million from bribery and kickback schemes going back at least 15 years.The move showed that Bharara, a 46-year-old Democrat –who was nominated to the post by President Obama in 2009 – isn’t afraid to go after the most powerful in the state or those within in his own party -- even if it spells trouble for Gov. Andrew Cuomo. During a press conference announcing the charges against Silver, Bharara issued a foreboding warning that could make some lawmakers quiver in their boots, suggesting more was to come. “Our unfinished fight against public corruption continues. You should stay tuned.”Indeed, the tough-as-nails, Indian-born attorney, who previously served as chief counsel to Sen. Chuck Schumer, has made a name for himself for going after state corruption, gang violence, international terrorists, and those involved in insider trading. He was even featured on the cover of Time magazine in 2012 with the headline “This man is busting Wall Street.
