Former President Donald Trump is not off the hook yet in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s criminal investigation into him and his business empire.
Bragg clarified Thursday that his office’s investigation remains ongoing, despite press speculation that it was winding down as its grand jury’s term is set to expire and two high-profile prosecutors departed from the inquiry in February.
PROSECUTORS LEADING MANHATTAN DA’S TRUMP INVESTIGATION RESIGN
“In recent weeks, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has been repeatedly asked whether our investigation concerning former President Donald J. Trump, the Trump Organization, and its leadership is continuing. It is,” he said in a statement. “The team working on this investigation is … going through documents, interviewing witnesses, and exploring evidence not previously explored.”
Prosecutors Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz stepped down from the investigation in February because Bragg suggested he had doubts about pursuing a case against Trump, sources told the New York Times. In his letter of resignation, Pomerantz said that he believes Trump is “guilty of numerous felony violations.”
The investigation began in 2019 under Bragg’s predecessor, Cyrus Vance, who convened a new grand jury in the case last November. The grand jury was reportedly on a monthlong pause in February when the two prosecutors departed the investigation with panelists instructed to stay home, leading to speculation that the review would soon conclude. But Bragg insisted he was not limited by the grand jury’s term.
“There have also been questions about the timing of the grand jury. As anyone who has worked on criminal cases in New York knows, New York County has grand juries sitting all the time,” he emphasized.
New York law prohibits prosecutors from disclosing grand jury matters. Bragg said he will not publicly discuss the grand jury or the next steps of the investigation. He vowed he will inform the public when the inquiry concludes.
“While the law constrains me from commenting further at this time, I pledge that the Office will publicly state the conclusion of our investigation — whether we conclude our work without bringing charges or move forward with an indictment,” he pledged.
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A grand jury indicted Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, Trump Payroll, and the Trump Organization last year. They have pleaded not guilty and vowed to fight the charges. Last year, the Supreme Court sided with the district attorney’s office and enabled them to receive Trump’s tax returns.
Bragg’s inquiry is being conducted in tandem with an inquiry by New York Attorney General Letitia James over whether the Trump Organization manipulated its asset valuations for financial benefit. On Thursday, she filed a motion in court calling for Trump to be held in civil contempt of court for failing to produce subpoenaed documents he was ordered to turn over to her office. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and panned the inquiries as being political witch hunts.
