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Teflon Don Skates Again
After the new Manhattan DA dropped an investigation of the former president, it’s worth asking why nothing ever happens to Donald Trump
I enter every year with optimism, but when it comes to rich and powerful white men being held accountable for their alleged crimes, I try not to be fanciful when considering likely outcomes.
Which is why days into 2022, I tweeted: “I worry the people I like on MSNBC are setting themselves up for a world of hurt over Donald. Ain’t it clear by now nothing happens to that man?”
Months later, for all the news coverage surrounding an investigation into Donald Trump led by the Manhattan district attorney, it looks as though the end result is the same: he will face no real consequences for his alleged crimes.
Late last month, Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz, two senior prosecutors on the team that’s been investigating the former president, reportedly resigned one day after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg informed them that he wasn’t prepared to move forward with criminal charges.
Over the weekend, the New York Times published a detailed account of the weeks of internal debate that took place within the office over the strength of the evidence against Trump and whether they could prove he committed financial crimes in court.
Apparently, Bragg’s predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., deliberated for months before ultimately deciding to move toward an indictment, but less than two months into his tenure, Bragg reversed that decision. However, Bragg has maintained that the three-year inquiry is continuing. Danielle Filson, a spokeswoman for Bragg, said, “This is an active investigation and there is a strong team in place working on it. According to Filson, the inquiry was now being led by Susan Hoffinger, the executive assistant district attorney in charge of the office’s Investigation Division.
But if Bragg has no plans to extend the grand jury investigation beyond April, then that point is moot. It sounds like she’s just there to wrap up what now seems like a dead investigation. I prefer people who give up to speak plainly about it. Politicians tend to not speak like real human beings, though.
