Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced on Monday that his office now has the grounds to investigate Donald Trump for tax fraud, the New York Times reported.
According to The Times, this is the first time in years that Vance revealed specifics about any possible charges publicly.
Trump had initially blocked Vance from obtaining his tax returns, but the Supreme court ruled in favor of the district attorney and allowed him to request eight years of Trump’s tax returns.
Trump’s lawyers alleged that it was all a political hitjob from Vance, but in the new filing, Vance explained that at no point had he directly accused the president, his businesses or Trump associates of any wrongdoing.
“However, prosecutors listed news reports and public testimony that alleged misconduct by Mr. Trump and his businesses,” The Times reported. “The reports, prosecutors wrote, would justify a grand jury inquiry into a range of possible crimes, including tax and insurance fraud and falsification of business records. It was the first time the office had included tax fraud among the possible areas of investigation.”
“Even if the grand jury were testing the truth of public allegations alone, such reports, taken together, fully justify the scope of the grand jury subpoena at issue in this case,” the prosecutors said in the filing.
You can read the full Times report HERE.
