Questions have been raised about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg after a top prosecutor who investigated Donald Trump's financial dealings said the former president was guilty of "numerous" felonies and condemned a decision not to indict him.
A number of legal experts have reacted to the revelations made in Manhattan prosecutor Mark Pomerantz's resignation letter, who quit abruptly in February amid reports that Bragg would not be moving forward with a criminal case against Trump over allegations of felony tax fraud by the Trump Organization.
In Pomerantz's resignation letter, obtained by The New York Times, the prosecutor criticized Bragg's decision to not push forward with the probe against Trump and feared that the DA's hesitation will "doom any future prospects" of prosecuting the former president for crimes he is alleged to have committed.
Pomerantz begins the resignation by stating he believes Trump is "guilty of numerous felony violations" with regards to his submitted financial statements.
"His financial statements were false, and he has a long history of fabricating information relating to his personal finances and lying about his assets to banks, the national media, counterparties, and many others, including the American people," Pomerantz wrote.
"The team that has been investigating Mr. Trump harbors no doubt about whether he committed crimes—he did."
In response, a number of legal experts have criticized how Bragg has handled the investigation into Trump, which he took over from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who retired in December 2021.
In his letter, Pomerantz said that Vance had urged the team to seek an indictment of Trump and others "as soon as reasonably possible" because of the evidence against the former president.
"No question anymore. Bragg stopped indictment of Trump. He must explain. And, I want to hear from Pomerantz," tweeted MSNBC legal analyst Jill Wine-Banks.
Richard Signorelli, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, wrote in a series of tweets: "From his first day in office, [Bragg] has made one mistake after another, literally jeopardizing public safety. His incompetence in office has made him unreasonably risk adverse & cowardly w/ regard to holding Trump accountable for his career of criminality. Shameful.
"We ended up electing as Manhattan DA the absolute worst candidate of all. Cowardly, incompetent, & a danger to public safety. I apologize again for having supported him."
Signorelli said: "Dear Bragg, If there is one mistake that you make which will be unforgivable & unforgettable to us in Manhattan it will be not holding Trump accountable for his criminality, guaranteed. You can still fix this. Make your peace w/ Pomerantz & Dunne & indict the [piece of s**t] sociopath."
Attorney Robert J. DeNault said that New York is going to "demand an explanation" over Bragg's decision not to move forward with prosecuting Trump.
"Within weeks of assuming office, [he] overrode both his predecessor and line prosecutors, who had all concluded Donald Trump was guilty of multiple felonies and decided to prosecute him," DeNault said.
George Conway, a lawyer and vocal Trump critic who is married to former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, said: "If Mark Pomerantz says this, you can take it to the bank. I'd trust his judgment any day of the week over an elected DA's."
In a follow-up tweet, Conway quoted Pomerantz's line from his resignation letter about not prosecuting Trump being a "grave failure of justice," before writing "indeed."
The Trump Organization's longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg has been charged in connection to the criminal investigation. The 74-year-old is due to stand trial in allegations that he avoided taxes on more than $1.7 million, which he denies.
In a statement to The Times, Danielle Filson, a spokesperson for Bragg, said the investigation into Trump was continuing.
"A team of experienced prosecutors is working every day to follow the facts and the law. There is nothing more we can or should say at this juncture about an ongoing investigation."
Bragg and The Trump Organization have been contacted for comment.
