By Melissa Fares and Nate Raymond
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Preet Bharara, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan known for pursuing a series of cases targeting public corruption and crime on Wall Street, said on Wednesday he agreed to remain in his post under U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Bharara, who was appointed to his position by Democratic President Barack Obama in 2009, told reporters following a meeting at Trump Tower that Trump had asked him to stay on during his administration and he had accepted.
"We had a good meeting," Bharara said. "I said I would absolutely consider staying on. I agreed to stay on."
Under Bharara, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York has pursued an aggressive push against corruption in state and city politics.
Those political investigations led last year to the convictions of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, and former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Republican, in separate corruption trials.
Bharara also brought dozens of successful cases against insider traders and was on the cover of Time magazine in 2012 with the headline "This man is busting Wall St."
Those cases include the 2011 conviction of Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam, who is serving an 11-year prison term, and a $1.8 billion settlement and plea deal in 2013 with hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors LP.
Bharara, a former chief counsel to Democratic U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, would serve under Trump's nominee for attorney general, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, if he wins confirmation.