Preet Bharara on Gianforte: ‘If he were an immigrant, he’d face deportation’

Preet Bharara, a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, called Montana Congressman-elect Greg Gianforte an “alleged criminal” on Thursday night after he defeated Democratic opponent Rob Quist in the special House election despite being charged with assaulting a reporter.

Bharara reposted a quote by John Adams on his Twitter feed and addressed the tweet to Gianforte.

“I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress,” the Adams quote read, with Bharara tweeting, “Repost in honor of alleged criminal Greg Gianforte’s election.”

Repost in honor of alleged criminal Greg Gianforte’s election. If he were an immigrant he’d face deportation; now he sets immigration policy https://t.co/vN8QdEU04S

— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) May 26, 2017

{mosads}Gianforte’s victory in the race to fill the seat left vacant by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke came the day after a physical altercation with reporter Ben Jacobs of The Guardian. Following the altercation, the local sheriff charged Gianforte with misdemeanor assault. 

Bharara, who was fired by President Trump after refusing to resign in March, has emerged as a frequent critic of the White House and the GOP since he was removed from office.

Earlier this month he blasted Trump’s explanation for firing former FBI Director James Comey, questioning whether anyone believed the ouster was about Comey’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.