The Manhattan DA is reportedly returning evidence to witnesses amid signs it may abandon its Trump investigation
- Manhattan's DA is returning evidence to witnesses in its Trump investigation, The Daily Beast said.
- The news comes amid reports that the investigation may be winding down.
The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has started returning evidence to witnesses in its investigation into the Trump Organization, The Daily Beast reported.
According to The Daily Beast, two sources said witnesses who gave evidence to prosecutors had been receiving it back recently.
One witness for the investigation told Insider he received documents back from the DA's office only after he asked for them to be returned.
Prosecutors generally return evidence to witnesses after an investigation has concluded or when they no longer believe a crime has taken place. The DA's office said the investigation was ongoing, and Bragg recently assigned an experienced white-collar attorney to take over the case after the two attorneys leading it under his predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., resigned.
As part of the case, the office in July brought criminal charges against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. Attorneys for Weisselberg and the company have denied wrongdoing. Prosecutors have been investigating whether former President Donald Trump's company broke tax, insurance, or bank laws by misrepresenting the values of its assets.
The Daily Beast report about witnesses getting back evidence came after The New York Times on Wednesday published the resignation letter of Mark Pomerantz, one of the two lead prosecutors on the case.
Pomerantz quit in February after Bragg expressed doubts about moving forward with the case against Trump.
In the letter, Pomerantz said he believed that Trump committed numerous crimes, including tax fraud by lying on his financial statements.
The investigation is the most high-profile one being conducted into the former president. A linked civil inquiry is being conducted by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The Manhattan DA investigation was launched in 2019 after Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, told Congress that Trump was a tax cheat. Last year, the Manhattan DA charged Weisselberg, accusing him of using valuable company perks to dodge taxes.
But after taking over as Manhattan DA from Vance on January 1, Bragg has expressed skepticism about the grounds for investigating Trump, The Times reported earlier in March.
According to The Times, Bragg believed the evidence was insufficient to prove Trump deliberately sought to mislead tax authorities. Evidence of deliberate intent is necessary for sustaining tax-fraud charges.
Trump has repeatedly denounced the investigation as a political witch hunt and has adamantly denied any wrongdoing.
The Manhattan DA's office did not immediately return Insider's request for comment and has said in previous statements its investigation into Trump is "ongoing."
Trump's accounting firm, Mazars, recently cut ties with him, saying that financial statements provided by him over several years could not be trusted.