-- The six-month special grand jury, which was empaneled in October, heard evidence .. https://bit.ly/38x1nD8 .. late last year from several witnesses, including reporters to whom former President Donald Trump boasted about his personal wealth. Presentations to the grand jury were halted earlier this year after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was sworn into office and raised concerns .. https://bit.ly/3vq3CS0 .. about the strength of the evidence. The decision to not extend the jury's term is not surprising because prosecutors already had pulled back from presenting evidence, but the development does indicate that over the past few months, the investigation has not escalated to the point that Bragg's calculus has changed. --
That Bragg has no stomach for this fight was clear from the resignation letters submitted by veteran prosecutors Mark Pomerantz and Carey Dunne.
-- In his resignation letter, Pomerantz said he believed the office had "evidence sufficient to establish Mr. Trump's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. ... I also do not believe that suspending the investigation pending future developments will lead to a stronger case or dispel your reluctance to bring charges.” Pomerantz added: "I and others believe that your decision not to authorize prosecution now will doom any future prospects that Mr. Trump will be prosecuted for the criminal conduct we have been investigating.” --
This would have been a tough case to try, and an even tougher case to win. I think Allen Weisselberg, the former CFO of the Trump Organization, still may wind up in the soup, and what a miserable parting gift that will be.
I’ve seen prosecutors who would chew off their own foot rather than give up on a $20 hand-to-hand drug deal. I’ve seen U.S. Attorneys who would start with the damn part-time janitor in the building where corrupt business was being conducted and work their way mercilessly up the food chain from there. What is it about this ambulatory lump of triglycerides that scares the daylights out of every prosecutor who crosses his path? I mean, the guy isn’t even as rich as he says he is. And anyway, giving up on wealthy criminals because they can afford better lawyers than the government can is yet another set of rails on which we can run to authoritarian hell. That’s always been the former president*’s fundamental immune system, and he hasn’t even had top-of-the-line legal help. It’s all about the bluff. Always was.
Likelihood of Trump Indictment in Manhattan Fades as Grand Jury Wraps Up
"Trump Is Guilty of ‘Numerous’ Felonies, Prosecutor Who Resigned Says "
The Manhattan district attorney is continuing to investigate Donald J. Trump, but knowledgeable people say charges are unlikely to occur in the foreseeable future, if ever.
Former President Donald J. Trump has said the district attorney’s office into his family business is politically motivated. Brittany Greeson for The New York Times
By Ben Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich, William K. Rashbaum and Lananh Nguyen April 29, 2022
When some two dozen New Yorkers filed into a Manhattan courthouse this week to finish out their grand jury service, the case against a man who would have been the world’s most prominent criminal defendant was no longer before them.
That man, Donald J. Trump, was facing potential criminal charges from the grand jury this year over his business practices. But in the weeks since the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, stopped presenting evidence to the jurors about Mr. Trump, new signs have emerged that the former president will not be indicted in Manhattan in the foreseeable future — if at all.
[...]
“It’s a work in progress,” Mr. Bragg said, adding later, “We’ve got seasoned prosecutors working every day. It’s not going to be on a timeline.”
But impaneling a new grand jury could create challenges for any potential case. Mr. Trump’s lawyers could argue — and a judge might agree — that prosecutors were inappropriately hunting for a more favorable group of jurors.
It would also take time to prepare a new presentation of evidence and months to lay out a case to jurors.
Mr. Bragg’s office does not have unlimited time...
[...]
Mr. Bragg’s office is monitoring Ms. James’s civil investigation for potential new leads, he has said. And Ms. James’s office is participating in the district attorney’s criminal investigation, opened by Mr. Bragg’s predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., more than three years ago.
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