(CNN) A lot has changed for Preet Bharara since March 11.

"I'm not a different guy. I had a different job" Bharara, the former US attorney for the Southern District of New York and a CNN contributor, told CNN's Bill Weir. "There's a difference in how you're supposed to input yourself when you're acting on behalf of the United States government, as opposed to being a private citizen. (That's) something that the President doesn't seem to feel."

Bharara, who was appointed to his position in 2009 by President Barack Obama and once served as the chief counsel to Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, was one of the highest-profile federal prosecutors in the country and had a reputation as one of the most aggressive prosecutors of corruption and Wall Street crime. He was fired by President Donald Trump on March 11 after refusing to resign. Forty-five other Obama-appointed US attorneys were also asked for their resignations.

While it's common for an incoming President to replace US attorneys appointed by their predecessors, Bharara says he had been asked to stay on by then President-elect Trump during a meeting at Trump Tower in November 2016.

"We had a lovely chat. He asked me to stay. He implored me to stay, in fact," Bharara told CNN of his November meeting with Trump. "Given how much I was dedicated to the mission of the office and my assumption that I would be able to do it independently, I said, 'It would be an honor to continue to serve.' And so I did."

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