Two attorneys within the Manhattan District Attorney’s office who were prominent figures in the criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s Trump Organization properties have resigned from their posts.
The investigation is examining if Trump and his company unlawfully mischaracterized the value of his assets — whether he illegally inflated and exaggerated his properties’ net worth in order to obtain large loans from several banks over the years.
Attorneys Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz submitted their resignation papers on Wednesday. They have not publicly revealed why they chose to leave the investigation, but many have speculated that they have done so out of frustration with the direction that the inquiry is taking under the leadership of District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
In spite of their resignations, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said that the investigation “is ongoing.”
Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance chose not to run for reelection last year, leaving the investigation to his successor, Bragg. Sources speaking to The New York Times about the attorneys’ resignations say that they occurred in part because Bragg has expressed doubts about moving the case forward. Another source, speaking to CNN, said that Bragg appeared “disinterested” in pursuing the investigation, indicating that his detachment possibly led the attorneys to quit.
A separate source disputed Bragg’s disinterest in the case, calling it “ridiculous.” The source added that Bragg has”taken a great interest” in the case and reiterated that the investigation is “ongoing.”
Before Bragg took office, he promised to focus on the Trump inquiry. “This is obviously a consequential case, one that merits the attention of the D.A. personally,” Bragg said at the time.
But there has been a notable slow-down in activity involving the special grand jury that was convened to consider evidence against Trump and his associates. That grand jury is set to expire in April, giving Bragg and his office little time to make the case for charges. Yet even with the deadline approaching, not a single witness has appeared before the grand jury in over a month.
While the case is still alive, the resignation of two prominent attorneys has led Trump allies to wrongly declare the case to be over. Even if the case does eventually get dropped, a separate inquiry at the state level, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, is still happening, and doesn’t show signs of ending anytime soon.
Indeed, while activity has dwindled in the Manhattan District Attorney’s inquiry, it has increased in the New York AG’s office.
James’s office said the criminal inquiry was still in place.
“The investigation is ongoing, and there is a robust team working on it,” a spokesperson for the attorney general said.