Manhattan D.A. Bragg insists Trump criminal case isn't 'shelved,' vows to publicly state indictment decision

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Thursday that despite the high-profile resignation of the two top prosecutors working on a criminal case against former President Donald Trump, that investigation is still ongoing. Bragg told The New York Times his office has recently questioned new witnesses about Trump and reviewed additional documents, but "citing grand jury secrecy rules," the Times reports, "Bragg declined to provide details on the new steps in the investigation."

Bragg also sat down for an interview with CNN, as a skeptical MSNBC's Ari Melber showed.

The two prosecutors who resigned said in a leaked letter that their team is convinced Trump is "guilty of numerous felony violations," it was "a grave failure of justice" not to hold him accountable, and the investigation has been "suspended indefinitely" by Bragg, who took over in January. Bragg told the Times their "letter speaks for itself," but he has not "shelved" anything and he's taking an "all of the above" approach to the investigation, which he has assigned to one of his most senior prosecutors, Susan Hoffinger.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"The team working on this investigation is comprised of dedicated, experienced career prosecutors," Bragg said in a statement. "They are going through documents, interviewing witnesses, and exploring evidence not previously explored. In the long and proud tradition of white-collar prosecutions at the Manhattan D.A.'s Office, we are investigating thoroughly and following the facts without fear or favor."

Bragg also said in his statement that he will publicly announced his decision about whether or not to seek an indictment of Trump. "I'm the district attorney," he told the Times. "I own this decision, whatever conclusion we come to."