NEW YORK — Preet Bharara, the high-profile federal prosecutor who was fired by President Trump’s administration after refusing to resign, has been replaced temporarily by a longtime friend and top adviser.

Joon H. Kim, 45, who had previously served as Bharara’s chief counsel, criminal division head, and top deputy, will be acting US attorney in the Southern District of New York until Trump nominates a candidate for the job who can be confirmed by the Senate. That process could take months.

Kim, the son of a South Korean diplomat who came up through the ranks of the US attorney’s office in Manhattan prosecuting organized crime and terrorism cases with his old boss, isn’t likely to stop pursuing the kinds of cases that have made the Manhattan prosecutor’s office known for its reach and breadth, former colleagues say.

Associated Press