In an interview with Slate legal columnist Dhalia Lithwick, former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara claimed he is not privy to inside information into the multiple investigations launched against Donald Trump but that he does see "signals" from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. that something is coming down the pike — and it is not good for the former president.
After describing the falling out with Trump that led to his firing, Bharara claimed there is little coming out of his former home at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York about Trump that gives any indication where their case stands. But he said that the Manhattan DA's office is another story.
"His tax returns are in the hands of Cyrus Vance Jr., the district attorney of Manhattan. They're working to flip folks in the Trump organization. I wonder what piece of that you're watching or are you just watching all of it? What do you expect to see in terms of accountability and having some sense that there is some closure to any of this?" Lithwick asked.
"The one that we know about most directly and most prominently is the one you mentioned, the Manhattan district attorney's investigation into Trump's finances and business dealings," the attorney replied. "I don't know because I've not been in the grand jury, I've not interviewed the witnesses. Cy Vance doesn't call me up and tell me stuff, but there is some signaling going on."
"Cy Vance is not running for reelection. Vance is, as they say, a lame duck. As a lame duck, he's done certain things, including hiring an outside forensic accounting firm, which is not super unusual but it's not that common. He's done something else that is less common, which is hire an outside lawyer, Mark Pomerantz, who's a very distinguished, well-respected lawyer in New York," he elaborated. "I'm not going to put too much weight on it, but it seems like the kind of move you make when you believe that there's going to be a charge or there's a good likelihood of a charge, because it's a pretty public thing to do."
Noting that such moves likely would "alienate" some in his office, Bharara noted he feels Vance thinks it is worth it because he has a good case.
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