SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a July 30, 2020 White House press conference in Washington, D.C. after tweeting about postponing the November 2020 general election over baseless allegations of fraud. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
NY Prosecutor Who Resigned Believes Trump Is 'Guilty of Numerous Felony Violations'
In his resignation letter, Mark Pomerantz wrote that the new Manhattan DA's decision not to prosecute the ex-president "is misguided and completely contrary to the public interest."
Mar 23, 2022
The New York Times on Wednesday published the full resignation letter of a prosecutor who abruptly quit last month over the new Manhattan district attorney's refusal to bring charges against former President Donald Trump.
"I fear that your decision means that Mr. Trump will not be held fully accountable for his crimes."
"I believe that Donald Trump is guilty of numerous felony violations of the penal law in connection with the preparation and use of his annual statements of financial condition," Mark Pomerantz wrote to the new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, on February 23.
As the prosecutor detailed of the ex-president: "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. The team that has been investigating Mr. Trump harbors no doubt about whether he committed crimes--he did."
"You have reached the decision not to go forward with the grand jury presentation and not to seek criminal charges at the present time," he noted. "The investigation has been suspended indefinitely. Of course, that is your decision to make. I do not question your authority to make it, and I accept that you have made it sincerely."
"However, a decision made in good faith may nevertheless be wrong," Pomerantz added. "I believe that your decision not to prosecute Donald Trump now, and on the existing record, is misguided and completely contrary to the public interest."
"I fear that your decision means that Mr. Trump will not be held fully accountable for his crimes," he concluded. "I have worked too hard as a lawyer, and for too long, now to become a passive participant in what I believe to be a grave failure of justice. I therefore resign from my position as a special assistant district attorney, effective immediately."
\u201c"A grave failure of justice." I hope the DA's office is correct when they say the investigation isn't over. \n\nRead the Full Text of Mark Pomerantz\u2019s Resignation Letter https://t.co/GxMG0vIITG\u201d— Greg Siskind (@Greg Siskind) 1648080323
Publication of Pomerantz's letter follows extensive reporting by the Times about the "unraveling" of the probe, which led to his and Carey Dunne's February resignations--a development legal experts had called "troubling" and "a sign of severe disarray internally."
Trump's attorney, Ronald P. Fischetti, said Wednesday that "we should applaud District Attorney Alvin Bragg for adhering to the rule of law and sticking to the evidence while making an apolitical charging decision based solely on the lack of evidence and nothing else."
However, a spokesperson for Bragg, Danielle Filson, confirmed to the Times that the probe of Trump's business practices--launched under the former DA, Cyrus Vance Jr., who didn't seek reelection--is continuing.
"A team of experienced prosecutors is working every day to follow the facts and the law," she said. "There is nothing more we can or should say at this juncture about an ongoing investigation."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The New York Times on Wednesday published the full resignation letter of a prosecutor who abruptly quit last month over the new Manhattan district attorney's refusal to bring charges against former President Donald Trump.
"I fear that your decision means that Mr. Trump will not be held fully accountable for his crimes."
"I believe that Donald Trump is guilty of numerous felony violations of the penal law in connection with the preparation and use of his annual statements of financial condition," Mark Pomerantz wrote to the new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, on February 23.
As the prosecutor detailed of the ex-president: "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. The team that has been investigating Mr. Trump harbors no doubt about whether he committed crimes--he did."
"You have reached the decision not to go forward with the grand jury presentation and not to seek criminal charges at the present time," he noted. "The investigation has been suspended indefinitely. Of course, that is your decision to make. I do not question your authority to make it, and I accept that you have made it sincerely."
"However, a decision made in good faith may nevertheless be wrong," Pomerantz added. "I believe that your decision not to prosecute Donald Trump now, and on the existing record, is misguided and completely contrary to the public interest."
"I fear that your decision means that Mr. Trump will not be held fully accountable for his crimes," he concluded. "I have worked too hard as a lawyer, and for too long, now to become a passive participant in what I believe to be a grave failure of justice. I therefore resign from my position as a special assistant district attorney, effective immediately."
\u201c"A grave failure of justice." I hope the DA's office is correct when they say the investigation isn't over. \n\nRead the Full Text of Mark Pomerantz\u2019s Resignation Letter https://t.co/GxMG0vIITG\u201d— Greg Siskind (@Greg Siskind) 1648080323
Publication of Pomerantz's letter follows extensive reporting by the Times about the "unraveling" of the probe, which led to his and Carey Dunne's February resignations--a development legal experts had called "troubling" and "a sign of severe disarray internally."
Trump's attorney, Ronald P. Fischetti, said Wednesday that "we should applaud District Attorney Alvin Bragg for adhering to the rule of law and sticking to the evidence while making an apolitical charging decision based solely on the lack of evidence and nothing else."
However, a spokesperson for Bragg, Danielle Filson, confirmed to the Times that the probe of Trump's business practices--launched under the former DA, Cyrus Vance Jr., who didn't seek reelection--is continuing.
"A team of experienced prosecutors is working every day to follow the facts and the law," she said. "There is nothing more we can or should say at this juncture about an ongoing investigation."
The New York Times on Wednesday published the full resignation letter of a prosecutor who abruptly quit last month over the new Manhattan district attorney's refusal to bring charges against former President Donald Trump.
"I fear that your decision means that Mr. Trump will not be held fully accountable for his crimes."
"I believe that Donald Trump is guilty of numerous felony violations of the penal law in connection with the preparation and use of his annual statements of financial condition," Mark Pomerantz wrote to the new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, on February 23.
As the prosecutor detailed of the ex-president: "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. The team that has been investigating Mr. Trump harbors no doubt about whether he committed crimes--he did."
"You have reached the decision not to go forward with the grand jury presentation and not to seek criminal charges at the present time," he noted. "The investigation has been suspended indefinitely. Of course, that is your decision to make. I do not question your authority to make it, and I accept that you have made it sincerely."
"However, a decision made in good faith may nevertheless be wrong," Pomerantz added. "I believe that your decision not to prosecute Donald Trump now, and on the existing record, is misguided and completely contrary to the public interest."
"I fear that your decision means that Mr. Trump will not be held fully accountable for his crimes," he concluded. "I have worked too hard as a lawyer, and for too long, now to become a passive participant in what I believe to be a grave failure of justice. I therefore resign from my position as a special assistant district attorney, effective immediately."
\u201c"A grave failure of justice." I hope the DA's office is correct when they say the investigation isn't over. \n\nRead the Full Text of Mark Pomerantz\u2019s Resignation Letter https://t.co/GxMG0vIITG\u201d— Greg Siskind (@Greg Siskind) 1648080323
Publication of Pomerantz's letter follows extensive reporting by the Times about the "unraveling" of the probe, which led to his and Carey Dunne's February resignations--a development legal experts had called "troubling" and "a sign of severe disarray internally."
Trump's attorney, Ronald P. Fischetti, said Wednesday that "we should applaud District Attorney Alvin Bragg for adhering to the rule of law and sticking to the evidence while making an apolitical charging decision based solely on the lack of evidence and nothing else."
However, a spokesperson for Bragg, Danielle Filson, confirmed to the Times that the probe of Trump's business practices--launched under the former DA, Cyrus Vance Jr., who didn't seek reelection--is continuing.
"A team of experienced prosecutors is working every day to follow the facts and the law," she said. "There is nothing more we can or should say at this juncture about an ongoing investigation."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.