Prosecutor says Donald Trump ‘committed crimes’ in bombshell resignation letter

A resignation letter from one of America’s leading prosecutors has shed new light on the controversial investigation into Donald Trump.

One of the senior prosecutors who was overseeing an investigation into Donald Trump and his business empire said in his resignation letter that the former US president had committed numerous criminal offences by falsifying his annual financial statements.

Mark Pomerantz – a former federal prosecutor and defence lawyer – came out of retirement to lead an inquiry by the New York District Attorney’s Office into the Trump Organisation’s financial dealings. He worked pro bono alongside senior prosecutor Carey Dunne.

After a lengthy investigation, the two prosecutors were confident that they had strong evidence to charge and then successfully convict Mr Trump on the basis that he intended to inflate the worth of his office buildings, hotels and golf clubs in his annual financial documents.

Mark Pomerantz and Carey Dunne believed they had strong enough evidence to indict Mr Trump. Picture: Scott Olson/Getty

But the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, did not share their view. He doubted the strength of the evidence and chose not to give the green light to indict Mr Trump, which led Mr Pomerantz and Mr Dunne to submit their resignations on February 23.

In his resignation letter dated February 23 which has since been published by the New York Times, Mr Pomerantz argued prosecutors would have been successful in obtaining a conviction against Mr Trump and maintained that Mr Bragg’s decision not to prosecute him was “misguided” and “contrary to the public interest”.

Mr Pomerantz said that Mr Bragg’s decision not to prosecute Mr Trump was “contrary to the public interest”. Picture: Mark Wilson/Getty/AFP

Mr Pomerantz wrote to Mr Bragg: “(Donald Trump’s) financial statements were false, and he has a long history of fabricating information relating to his personal finances and lying about his assets to banks, the national media, counterparties, and many others, including the American people. The team that has been investigating Mr Trump harbours no doubt about whether he committed crimes – he did.”

He said Mr Bragg’s predecessor, former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr, had advised that Mr Trump’s actions “warranted prosecution” and the former president and the other defendants should be charged.

Mr Bragg took over the Manhattan District Attorney job in January.

Mr Pomerantz noted in his letter of resignation that the investigation had been suspended “pending future developments”.

Former Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr, said that Mr Trump's actions "warranted prosecution". Picture: Supplied

A spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Danielle Filson, told CNN the investigation was still ongoing.

“A team of experienced prosecutors is working every day to follow the facts and the law. There is nothing more we can or should say at this juncture about an ongoing investigation,” Ms Filson said.

Mr Pomerantz also warned Mr Bragg that his decision not to prosecute the former president would affect the public’s confidence in the legal system and go against the notion that “no man is above the law”.

A lawyer for Mr Trump, Ronald Fischetti, told CNN “there was not sufficient evidence” to prosecute Mr Trump and there is not “one live witness who would take the stand and point a finger at Donald Trump and say that he was corrupt. Not one.”