Alvin Bragg sworn in as Manhattan DA, taking over Trump case

[brooklynite]

NBC News

NEW YORK — Alvin Bragg has already notched one historic first, taking office Saturday as Manhattan’s first Black district attorney. Now he’s weighing another: whether to make Donald Trump the first former president ever charged with a crime.

As district attorney, Bragg inherited an investigation into Trump and his business practices from his predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., who declined to seek reelection last year after 12 years in the high-profile job.

After weeks of speculation about whether Vance would close his tenure with a bang by indicting Trump, the former D.A. has passed that decision to Bragg, a 48-year-old civil rights lawyer and former federal prosecutor who was sworn in at a private ceremony, in part because of Covid concerns.

Bragg told CNN last month that he’ll be directly involved in the Trump matter. He also said he has asked the two veteran prosecutors who led the case under Vance — general counsel Carey Dunne and former mafia prosecutor Mark Pomerantz — to stay on and see it through.

[jalan48]

1. Interesting Vance decided to quit during the biggest investigation of his life. Did he retire?

[Ocelot II]

4. He's said to be retiring; more accurately, not running for re-election.

Haven't found any info about whether he's going into private practice or retiring altogether (he's 66).

[jalan48]

6. Thanks - I wondered why given the timing but 66 is retirement age.

[Eyeball_Kid]

2. Vance couldn't pull the trigger. He could only aim the weapon.

Vance has been a little too friendly with the Trumps. It seems he owes them something.

Bragg may not have that kind of baggage. Let's go Alvin.

[Cha]

3. Too bad for Vance.. Treason

is Treason

[Ocelot II]

5. Treason is a federal crime; Vance was the Manhattan DA, didn't have jurisdiction

to prosecute treason.

[Cha]

7. TY for the correction.

[Poiuyt]

10. Wasn't the Manhattan case about fraudulent property valuations?

Trump would give a high valuation when trying to get a loan but a lower valuation for the same property when it came time for taxes.

[Ocelot II]

13. It's a tax fraud case, more to it than property valuation.

There are also issues about how the Trump Org paid employees and execs like Weisselberg, and who knows what else they might uncover.

[Poiuyt]

14. Thanks

I guess I was thinking that they played around with the valuations in order to avoid paying higher taxes. i.e. Tax fraud.

[Ocelot II]

15. I think that's part of it, and that's also what the state AG is looking at.

They will be after significant fines and penalties for tax evasion relating to property valuations; the Manhattan DA is pursuing criminal tax evasion, which could include the same things, and they've already indicted Weisselberg in connection with the taxation of perks Trump and the company paid Weisselberg and other execs, including thousands of dollars in private school tuition for one of Weisselberg’s grandchildren, as well as rents on apartments and car leases.

[Poiuyt]

16. It gets confusing trying to sort through all the crimes Trump has committed

[former9thward]

17. Property valuation is done by the government -- not the owner.

[Me.]

8. Vance Is A Friend Of The Rich

wouldn't believe a poor black maid who worked in a hotel and accused Strauss-Kahn of rape even though it wasn't the first time he had faced those insinuations and the French police later accused him running a prostitution ring. But he had a very rich and influential wife. How many times did he give Michael Weinstein a pass. Epstein had a town house in NYC, was he ever investigated. That entire office under Vance dismissed women's claims. He let the trumps and other rich people off too. Bragg will have to do better because the women of this city are watching.

[Cha]

9. I truly hope so, Me!

Glad Vance retired or whatever made him leave!

Cheers to Democracy & Justice!

[Progressive Jones]

11. Friends with the rich, eh? I'd bring and end to my own best friend if they were a traitor. nt

[Me.]

12. As Would MOst

What I'd like to know about the last election, where he ran unopposed, is how many write in candidates were there. People were urging other people to write in any name but Vance. Not that it did any good. I didn't think there was a snowball's chance in you know where that he'd bring charges against tfg. After all he let the kids off why not their traitor dad.