Resignations cast doubt on New York criminal probe into Trump

Two US prosecutors leading New York’s criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business practices quit Wednesday, raising questions over the future of the probe.

US media said the resignations of Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz throw the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into doubt.

DA Alvin Bragg is probing whether Trump fraudulently overvalued multiple assets to secure loans and then undervalued them to minimize taxes.

The investigation was launched by Bragg’s predecessor Cyrus Vance, with Bragg taking over the case when he took office in January.

A spokesperson for the DA’s office confirmed that Dunne and Pomerantz had resigned, without specifying why.

“We are grateful for their service,” she said in a statement emailed to AFP.

The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, reported that the pair had quit because Bragg had expressed doubts about proceeding with the case.

The newspaper noted that there had been a month-long pause in the DA’s office presenting its evidence to a grand jury, something prosecutors do before deciding whether to file charges.

The DA’s spokesperson said though that “the investigation is ongoing.”

Trump, 75, has not been charged and has repeatedly described the case as a political witch hunt by a Democratic prosecutor.

In July last year, the Trump Organization and its long-serving finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, were charged with 15 felony fraud and tax evasion charges.

They pleaded not guilty, and Weisselberg’s trial is due to begin in the middle of this year.

The criminal investigation into Trump is very similar to a civil inquiry being conducted by New York state Attorney General Letitia James, who is also a Democrat.

In January, she said her probe had uncovered “significant evidence” of fraudulent or misleading practices at the Trump Organization.

James can sue the Trump Organization for damages over any alleged financial misconduct but cannot file criminal charges.

Last week, a US judge ordered Trump and his two eldest children to testify under oath in her inquiry.

Trump has so far kept Americans guessing about whether he intends to seek the Republican presidential nomination again, but the host of legal probes threaten to complicate any bid for another run at the White House in 2024.