preet bharara recommended for u.s. attorney post

More Asian Americans being looked at for prominent government posts... Senator Charles E. Schumer has recommended that the White House select his chief counsel, Preet Bharara, as the next United Stats attorney in Manhattan: Schumer Asks Obama to Name a Top Aide as U.S. Attorney in New York.

The United States attorney for the Southern District of New York handles federal cases in Manhattan, the Bronx and six counties north of the city. The job is considered perhaps the most prestigious federal prosecutor's post outside Washington, with a traditional focus on securities fraud and white-collar crime, public corruption and terrorism.

Mr. Bharara was a federal prosecutor in New York from 2000 to 2005, handling organized crime and narcotics cases, among others. He then took a job as Senator Schumer's top aide on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he played a key role in investigating the scandal over the dismissals of U.S. attorneys in 2006.

The recommendation doesn't guarantee that Bharara will get the post, but it definitely makes him the clear front-runner. If nominated by President Obama, Mr. Bharara must be confirmed by the Senate.