Former Manhattan DA Says Trump Complaints May Escalate Case Against Him

Former Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. has warned that the criticisms and attacks against the district attorney and judge presiding over the case from former President Donald Trump could escalate the severity of the case against him. In an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Vance cautioned Trump to avoid committing another criminal offense, such as obstruction of governmental administration. Vance stated that this could change the jury’s perspective on the overall severity of the case. However, Vance admitted that he does not know whether the case against Trump is airtight or not.

Following a grand jury’s indictment last week, Trump is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday in New York. This marks a significant escalation in the investigation that Vance had passed on to Alvin Bragg when he left office at the end of 2021. Trump is the first former president to face criminal charges. While the specific details of the indictment are still unclear, Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina said they likely revolve around the payment of hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election cycle. Trump denies any wrongdoing.

Trump has accused Bragg of prosecutorial misconduct and repeatedly called him an “animal.” He has also claimed that Soros is backing Bragg. Additionally, he has attacked the presiding judge, Juan Merchan, posting on Truth Social that the Merchan “hates” him and “strong-armed” the Trump Organization’s former CFO Allen Weisselberg in a tax fraud case. Despite this, Tacopina said that he personally does not believe that the judge is biased.

Trump’s re-election campaign has announced that he will deliver a public address from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Tuesday night.