Cyrus Vance Jr., the former Manhattan District Attorney, has shed light on why he refrained from charging former President Donald Trump over payments made to silence alleged affairs — indicating that the case might not have been the most solid one against Trump.
Vance, who served as the DA before his successor Alvin Bragg assumed office in 2022, started looking into Trump’s conduct around 2018 but chose a different prosecutorial path.
“I ultimately believed that our investigation was best focused on financial crimes” connected to the Trump Organization, Vance mentioned on NBC’s “Meet the Press” — choosing not to pursue the payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
“Unfortunately, we ran out of time,” he added.
According to Vance, Trump’s conviction will likely spur “strong appeals.”
“I’m confident that we made the right decision for that period in focusing on the financial crimes investigation,” Vance said.
Vance expressed skepticism regarding Trump serving jail time, though he conceded that the judge’s repeated contempt of court findings against Trump could influence the sentencing.
He stated, “Given the closeness of the Republican Convention four days after his sentencing and the possibility of him being the nominee for the Republican Party – the closeness to the election – I’d be surprised if imprisonment was in the cards,” further noting that the court might decide to defer sentencing until after the election.
The scheduled date for Trump’s sentencing is July 11, which carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years.
New York County Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has found Trump to be repeatedly in contempt of a gag order, which restricts him from maligning key figures in the case or his family. Merchan will preside over the sentencing procedures.
Trump has previously attempted to denigrate Merchan’s daughter over her Democratic Party associations.
The Republican National Convention will convene in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 15 through 18.
While Vance was at the helm, his office initially delved into the supposed secretive payments, but eventually embarked on a broader investigation into the Trump Organization’s alleged business fraud.
Bragg later refocused the investigation on the ‘hush money’, a move which led to the resignation of some prosecutors. Bragg has stood by his strategy, especially after scoring a conviction against Trump, marking him as the first former US President to be convicted.
Vance’s inquiry culminated in a guilty plea from Trump Organization’s ex-CFO Allen Weisselberg and the Trump Organization itself.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who belongs to the Democratic Party, won a $355 million judgment, plus interest, in her civil fraud lawsuit against Trump. Trump has appealed this decision.
Despite Bragg’s triumph, Vance emphasized that the battle is far from over.
Trump’s associates refer to the recent decision by the New York State Court of Appeals to overturn the sexual misconduct conviction against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein as an indicator of possible appellate avenues for Trump.
The Manhattan DA’s office led the Weinstein case. Trump is firm on appealing his ‘hush money’ conviction after the official court sentencing.
His lawyers have lodged various complaints related to the trial procedure, including issues with Merchan, who made modest contributions to President Biden’s 2020 campaign and some progressive entities yet remained the presiding judge in the case.
“I do not believe a couple of small donations amount to a substantial conflict of interest,” Vance argued, rounding the figures off.
Trump also faces five dozen more charges in other cases, including matters relating to documents at Mar-a-Lago, the 2020 election meddling case, and the 2020 Georgia election interference allegation.
No dates have been scheduled for these ongoing cases due to extensive pretrial activity, including a pivotal presidential immunity Supreme Court case. Trump has declared his innocence and entered pleas of not guilty across all accusations.
On the other hand, Congressional Republicans clearly intend to seek testimony from Bragg concerning his prosecution of Trump.
Following Trump’s conviction, his campaign reportedly witnessed a significant financial uplift, allegedly raising about $53 million within a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ‘hush money’ case regarding Donald Trump?
The ‘hush money’ case involves payments that were allegedly made to suppress information about Trump’s past affairs. Trump has been accused of directing payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from disclosing an affair during the 2016 election campaign. The case pertains to the falsification of business records related to these payments.
Who is Cyrus Vance Jr.?
Cyrus Vance Jr. is the former Manhattan District Attorney who started the investigation into Donald Trump’s potential financial and business misconduct around 2018 but did not prosecute Trump on the ‘hush money’ payments. Instead, his investigation was more focused on broader financial crimes related to the Trump Organization.
Has Donald Trump been convicted of any crimes?
Yes, Donald Trump was convicted on charges stemming from the ‘hush money’ payment case. However, Trump’s lawyers plan to appeal the conviction.
What are the potential outcomes of Trump’s conviction being appealed?
An appeal might lead to a reduction in the sentence, or the conviction could be overturned, especially if the appellate court finds significant errors in the trial process. Trump’s team has indicated they will vigorously challenge the conviction.
Why did some prosecutors resign when Alvin Bragg took over the case from Cyrus Vance Jr.?
Some prosecutors reportedly resigned in protest when Alvin Bragg shifted the investigative focus back to the ‘hush money’ payments after his predecessor Cyrus Vance Jr. had focused on broader financial crimes. This change in prosecutorial strategy was not agreed upon by all involved in the original investigation.