“Investigations are not linear,” said DA Alvin Bragg Jr. on CNN on Thursday. “So, we follow the instructions before us, and that’s what we do.” But inside the DA’s office, inaction and frustration with Trump potentially avoiding guilt seem worse than ever. Another prosecutor appears to have withdrawn from the case, according to informed sources who say it could be further evidence of the failure of the investigation. And sources now seem to believe that Trump averting a charge is inevitable. Solomon Shinerock – a lead investigator who helped lead much of the four-year intensive effort – is no longer so actively involved in the case, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. In recent weeks, Shinerock’s departure from the Trump investigation team has been obvious enough to disappoint some on the side of prosecutors – and it has been felt enough to quietly thank the lawyers working for the end of the former president and the agency. Trump, sources noted. Another person familiar with the situation described the current state of the group, which was investigating Trump, as “entrails” and “shell” of its former self, even beyond what was previously mentioned. The loss of momentum in this high-profile investigation – which some former prosecutors believe has already provided enough evidence to prosecute Trump – has left many lawyers working in the investigation feeling frustrated and in some cases outraged. . Shinerock is among those disappointed, according to a source familiar with the matter and another person who was briefed on the situation. Shinerock, as expected, declined to comment publicly on the current state of the criminal investigation or his opinion on the apparently halted investigation into Trump and his business empire.
Photo illustration by Elizabeth Brockway / The Daily Beast / Getty / Handout
Shinerock is still working in the DA’s office, but his connection to the task force now seems weak. The bureau declined to comment on allegations that he resigned from his leadership role in the case. Similarly, Shinerock declined to comment on the story. For days, The Daily Beast has been pressuring representatives in the Manhattan DA office for comment, sharing specific details of this report. A representative of the office had repeatedly denied the opportunity to proceed to the file to deny or dispute any of the details. But on Thursday afternoon, hours after being informed of the Beast’s deadline, the office dropped his written statement, attributed to Bragg, to various national media outlets, insisting that “the team working on this investigation consists of [sic] dedicated, experienced career prosecutors, who continue to “thoroughly investigate and monitor events without fear or favor.” The Daily Beast did not receive this statement and the DA’s office continued to deny the possibility of registering to explain how their allegations equate to this report showing how another leading investigator in the case significantly reduced his role. Shinerock may still be part of the prosecution in some official capacity, and his name may still appear in some documents related to the Trump investigation. But the sources were clear: Shinerock’s role has been greatly reduced. A source told The Daily Beast that she last heard Shinerock six weeks ago. Another source said Shinerock was less involved in day-to-day communications than the other two high-ranking prosecutors who recently resigned. Indeed, last month, Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz left abruptly, expressing their displeasure over Bragg’s refusal to sign an indictment against Trump on the criminal record of falsifying business records, among other allegations.
Photo illustration by Elizabeth Brockway / The Daily Beast / Handout
Dunne, a former prosecutor who has made a name for himself as a Wall Street banker, was the bureau chief adviser and has successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that his investigators should obtain Trump’s personal tax documents. Pomerantz, also a former prosecutor, dropped his criminal defense at the luxurious Paul Weiss law firm to help bolster the local prosecutor’s huge venture. Shinerock was the third leg of the stool. Many witnesses described him as the mastermind of the investigation, asking sharp questions that focused on the Trump administration’s internal functioning and any involvement in criminal behavior by its executives. Shinerock was apparently present during the three office visits to the federal prison in Otisville, New York, where prosecutors interviewed former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen during his stay there, according to the former inmate. Shinerock is also the main name in the July 2021 indictment against the Trump Organization and its then-chief financial officer, Allen Weiselberg. This case will be heard later this year. Shinerock, who turns 42 next month, has begun a war crimes investigation at the American University Law School. After graduating, he defended banks in New York’s oldest law firm, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, where he also provided free legal work to a group that successfully secured immigrant asylum. He spent two years as a federal prosecutor in upstate New York and then left at the helm of the Trump administration. He joined the Manhattan DA office under former Attorney General Cy Vance Jr., where he worked in the large financial crime bureau. As an assistant prosecutor, Shinerock played a key role in the Manhattan DA’s fight over Trump’s tax returns, a legal battle that has twice reached the Supreme Court. For years, his signed statement to federal court provided the public with a more detailed picture of the bureau investigation, which began as an investigation into Trump’s silent payments to 1998 Playboy actress Karen McDougall and porn star Stephanie Clifford. better known as Stormy Daniels. For some, it is entirely to be expected that the prosecution’s attempt against the former president seems to be in disarray. “The Manhattan DA office continues to close; poor people, people of color, blacks and browns, people with substance abuse problems, that’s an absolute motive — while the rich and powerful fail to account,” said Eliza Orlins. , a public defender who ran for the Manhattan DA last year. “Rikers Island is in absolute crisis. my clients are there every day…[But] as the office has always operated, Donald Trump’s chances were probably always good. The real scandal is that this is the absolute behavior as usual from this office “. When Vance announced a year ago that he would not be running for re-election, reporters were quick to point out the potential chaos that could result from the change of leadership amid the potentially biggest prosecution effort to date for this New county office. York. These concerns seemed to increase when Bragg, a former federal prosecutor and public defender, took over the role of DA in January. Bragg was immediately on the defensive when his “Day 1 Memorandum” received a barrage of criticism for appearing “soft on crime.” At the time, Congressman Tom Suucci – who is now running for governor of New York – and others called on Governor Kathy Hotsul to replace Bragg’s alleged negligence. Those calls were only made louder by the news last month that the Trump investigation was going awry because of Bragg’s reluctance to file charges. However, the bureau said the “investigation is ongoing”, adding that “a team of experienced prosecutors is working daily to follow the facts and the law”. That’s their claim, even though Manhattan prosecutors were returning recent evidence and key documents provided by witnesses in the case, the Daily Beast reported last month. Bragg has even appointed the head of the bureau’s research department, Susan Hoffinger, to lead the Trump affair. But that means a top law enforcement official apparently now has two full-time jobs – with little time to blame Trump. The large jury convened by the DA’s office for this inquiry – which is already familiar with all the facts and would vote indictment if questioned – operates on a limited term ending this month, according to several lawyers who know the research . An ignominious end to this investigation would not come as a surprise to Nicholas Gravante, a defense lawyer at the same company where Shinerock once worked. Gravante represents two other Trump executives who came under the microscope, CEO Matthew Calamari Sr. and his son, corporate security director Matt Jr. For months, Gravante argued that his clients were not part of the crime – and prosecutors would find it difficult to find it elsewhere. “We did not hear anything. we have done nothing. And as I said before, there is no evidence that either of them ever did the right thing. “They are model citizens,” said Gravante, Cadwalader’s co-chair of global disputes.
