On His Way Out, Manhattan DA Zings Bloomberg

In 35 years as Manhattan DA, Robert Morgenthau has gotten along with every mayor of New York—except the current one. Mike Bloomberg, says Morgenthau, "doesn't want anybody around who doesn't kiss his ring, or other parts of his body." In a wide-ranging interview with the Wall Street Journal, the 90-year-old, who leaves office Thursday, addresses everything from his feud with the mayor to the international crimefighting role his office has played during his tenure. As usual, he pulls no punches:

• On enforcing economic sanctions against Iran and its business partners: "The president is smoking pot or something if he thinks that being nice to these guys is going to get him anywhere."
• On convicting octogenarian Anthony Marshall of stealing from his mother, socialite Brooke Astor: The verdict "sent a message all over the country: You can't steal from your elders."
• On parking money offshore to evade taxes: "You're never going to see them reduced unless everybody pays what they're required to pay under the law."

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