Preet Bharara on Why He’s Still Figuring Out His Next Career Move

Preet Bharara said he is not considering a run for office, shutting down speculation about his own political ambitions by repeating a line he’s used in recent weeks.

“I have no plans to enter politics in the same way that I have no plans to enter the circus,” he said at the TIME 100 Gala on Tuesday, reiterating a line from a speech he made earlier this month. “And I mean no offense to the circus.”

As for what’s next, Bharara said he’s still trying to figure that out. “I didn’t surrender my law license, my voice or my convictions,” he said. “So I still want to — if I can — educate people about the issues I care about, raise awareness, point people in directions, motivate people to care about our country. So I’ll figure that out.”

Bharara, who has been critical of Trump’s Justice Department, also expressed concern about the 93 unfilled U.S. attorney positions in the Trump Administration.

“I don’t know that there’s been a time in modern history when there has been literally no Senate-confirmed United States attorney in the country,” he said. “That’s unusual, probably not for the best.”

Bharara was fired from his role as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York in March after he refused to submit a letter of resignation on the request of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.