Former Manhattan D.A. says federal prosecutors asked him to 'stand down' on Trump hush-money probe

Former President Donald Trump will be arrested and processed in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday, and only then will we find out what crimes he is being charged with by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office. People following the case closely predict Trump will be charged at least with falsifying business records — a misdemeanor in New York — for improperly recording 2016 hush-money payments made to porn actress Stormy Daniels on his behalf, elevated to felony status by alleging the transaction was disguised to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who appears to be a key witness for Bragg's prosecutors, pleaded guilty to federal crimes tied to the hush-money payment in 2018 and served jail time. Bragg's predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., investigated Trump's role in the hush-money payments but didn't file state charges before leaving office at the end of 2021.
Some analysts and Trump supporters have argued that Vance declining to prosecute Trump on this count means Bragg's revived case must be weak or politically motivated. Vance said Sunday that he simply ran out of time, thanks to delays tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump's long but unsuccessful fight to stop Vance from obtaining his tax records — and a request by federal prosecutors in Manhattan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
"I was asked by the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District to stand down on our investigation," Vance told Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press, "and as someone who respects that office a great deal and believing that they might perhaps have the best laws to investigate, I did so,"
For a year and a half, at the request of the Southern District of New York, the Manhattan D.A.'s office "hit the pause button" on the hush-money case, Vance elaborated on MSNBC's Inside with Jen Psaki. "I was surprised, after Michael Cohen pleaded guilty, that the investigation from the Southern District on that issue did not go forward. By that time we had moved on to other matters," including the "two-year saga" to obtain Trump's tax returns, which led to an indictment of the Trump Organization four months later and guilty verdicts a year after that.
Renato Mariotti, a legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, wondered about the federal request to halt Vance's hush-money investigation. "Did then–Attorney General Barr play any role in that request?" he asked. "Did Trump?" Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton separately told CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday that he knows of plenty of cases where the Trump administration "weaponized" the Justice Department.
Psaki pressed Vance on how close he came to indicting Trump for the hush-money payments or other alleged crimes. If he had approved an indictment before stepping down, Vance said, it was with the understanding that the investigation was ongoing and Bragg would get the final call, because "we had been unable to complete our work."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 30, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - strawberry fields forever, secret files, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously sparse cartoons about further DOGE cuts
Cartoons Artists take on free audits, report cards, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
Why does Donald Trump want Greenland?
The Explainer Trump is not the only US president who has tried to gain control of Greenland
By The Week UK Published
-
What dangers does the leaked Signal chat expose the US to?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The White House's ballooning group chat scandal offered a masterclass in what not to say when prying eyes might be watching
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court upholds 'ghost gun' restrictions
Speed Read Ghost guns can be regulated like other firearms
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sets 25% tariffs on auto imports
Speed Read The White House says the move will increase domestic manufacturing. But the steep import taxes could also harm the US auto industry.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump allies urge White House to admit chat blunder
Speed Read Even pro-Trump figures are criticizing The White House's handling of the Signal scandal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Even authoritarian regimes need a measure of public support — the consent of at least some of the governed'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Waltz takes blame for texts amid calls for Hegseth ouster
Speed Read Democrats are calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Michael Waltz to step down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
USPS Postmaster General DeJoy steps down
Speed Read Louis DeJoy faced ongoing pressure from the Trump administration as they continue to seek power over the postal system
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published