Two lead prosecutors of the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into Donald Trump’s business practices have abruptly resigned. Carey R. Dunne and Mark F. Pomerantz submitted their resignations on Wednesday. The pair has declined to elaborate on the abrupt departures.
According to sources close to the matter, Dunne and Pomerantz resigned when new Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, suggested that he had doubts about moving forward with their case against Trump.
The investigation into charges that Trump inflated the value of his assets to secure loans had been on hold for nearly a month after Bragg expressed a lack of confidence in the case.
Dunne and Pomerantz postponed a witness interview last month and additionally have not questioned any witnesses in front of a grand jury for over a month.
It is unclear why Bragg has pulled back on the years-long investigation, as the grand jury’s term is scheduled to expire in April. His predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., had intensified the investigation when he called the grand jury in the fall.
In January, it was reported that the investigation was picking up steam. Trump’s longtime accountant was reported to have met with investigators. Dunne and Pomerantz are both veterans of the New York legal scene and their departure from the investigation could see it fizzle out.
Bragg, through a spokesperson, said he was “grateful for their service” and stated that the investigation would continue. The Manhattan district attorney’s easing of their investigation into accusations of Trump’s loose business practices won’t close the matter for the embattled former president, however.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James has received approval from a judge to question Trump and two of his adult children as their office investigates conduct similar to the probe being conducted by the Manhattan office. The New York state investigation is a civil case, however, while the Manhattan investigation is a criminal matter