The two top prosecutors leading the Manhattan District Attorney's investigation of former United States President Donald Trump have resigned amid the DA's alleged "disinterest" in the case.
The probe aims to look into the Republican businessman's company and its practices of alleged misevaluation. The two prosecutors handed in their resignation on Wednesday after a month-long pause in their presentation of evidence to a grand jury.
Probe Into Trump's Company
The sudden development came shortly after the high-stakes inquiry indicated gaining momentum and has forced the case to take a reverse turn, plunging its future into serious doubt. The two prosecutors who resigned were identified as Carey R. Dunne and Mark F. Pomerantz.
The two individuals allegedly handed in their resignation because the new Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, suggested that he was doubtful about moving forward with a case against the former president. In a brief interview, Pomerantz confirmed his resignation but declined to reveal details about the situation while Dunne did not comment on the issue, as per the New York Times.
A person familiar with the investigation of the district attorney's office said that Bragg has appeared disinterested in the probe of the Trump Organization amid his struggles with bad press. The situation was primarily caused by a memo he had released that detailed changes to prosecutorial policies.
Furthermore, the source said that despite Pomerantz and Dunne's resignation, the investigation into the former president's business will continue. They said that while a case was vulnerable to a team carrying it leaving, it did not mean the end for the probe.
According to CNN, however, a different source argued that Bragg's alleged disinterest in the case was ridiculous and suggested that he was merely biding his time with the case. They said that the district attorney had a great interest in the case and had a strong team of lawyers who were continuing the probe.
Previously, the DA's office indicted the Trump Organization and its longtime chief bookkeeper, Allen Weisselberg, on 15 felony counts. On the other hand, the former president has not been charged with a crime.
Trump's Tax Evasion
The first round of charges focused on alleged tax-evasion schemes of the Trump Organization but have since shifted attention on whether or not the Trump Organization, or the former president himself, artificially inflated or deflated the value of assets for loan and tax purposes, respectively.
Furthermore, the DA's investigation also recently focused on whether Trump exaggerated his financial net worth when he applied for loans. Mazars USA, the Trump Organization's longtime accounting firm, cut ties with the company earlier this month and determined that decade-old financial statements were "unreliable."
The Wednesday suggestion of a slowdown of the DA's case comes as state attorney general Letitia James' civil probe begins to heat up. Last week, a Manhattan judge ordered that Trump and his two eldest children, Don Jr., and Ivanka, were required to comply with the AG's subpoenas for documents and testimony.
The situation also comes after lawyers for Trump and Weisselberg requested a judge to dismiss the probe into the former president's company and its CFO. They cited "selective" and politically-motivated prosecution, Business Insider reported.
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