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For almost two years, Donald Trump set Robert Mueller on fire, calling the special council's work a "witch hunt", partisan charade, and now "presidential harassment".
The biggest threat to Trump, though.
Trump did not send a tweet about Monday night's revelation that prosecutors at the US District Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) had issued a subpoena. looking for a mountain of documents from his inaugural committee.
But former attorneys and other people familiar with the work of Manhattan-based prosecutors have let their jaws fall to the news of the subpoena, or – in the case of the court of appeal former SDNY leader, Preet Bharara, whom Trump shot early – their virtual eyes swell .
On Friday, ProPublica and WNYC reported a new reveal: the inauguration committee paid the Trump International Hotel for $ 175,000 a day for the event space.
The implications of the subpoena and what followed were clear and they were all bad for Trump, worse than the threat posed by the Special Advisor's investigation into the links between his campaign and Russia, said Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, former member of Trump's inner circle, head of transition planning and former US attorney himself.
"I always thought it was the much more problematic thing, Christie told MSNBC of SDNY. "People are focusing on Mueller and it's appropriate.
In Interviews with the Guardian, Former SDNY Attorney He Explained Why Trump's investigations of New York-based interests could have dragged the president, his family, and associates for years, including after he left the office.
Unlike Mueller, Trump can not, in practice, return the entire south of the country. district, which includes about 150 career prosecutors, which is distinct from the people appointed by the power. Unlike Mueller, the southern district is not restricted by a narrow permit. And unlike Mueller, the Southern District does not report, for most matters, directly to the Attorney General, appointed by the President and who could act as he pleases, although the standards of the independence of the Department of Justice forbid that.
The SDNY is also filled with lawyers renowned for their talent, independence and courage. Graduates regularly hold judicial positions, holding senior positions in the Department of Justice (for example, FBI directors James Comey and Louis Freeh, Attorney General Michael Mukasey), as well as other personalities. (Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York, now president's lawyer). ). Wags calls the office "Sovereign District" of New York and jokes that it is the only US law firm out of 93 in the country to have its own foreign policy.
"Both in terms of hearing room competence and investigation and legal sense, the Southern District is proud of its firepower for a long time," said Daniel Richman, professor of law at the University of Toronto. Columbia University, former district deputy district attorney.
Elie Honig, who helped dismantle the Sicilian The mafia as district attorney echoed the observation.
"The Southern District has a long history," he said, "and the reputation, I think well-deserved, of being tenacious and always seeking to conduct an investigation wherever it is going. found going, including at the top of an organization. "
" The Inaugural Investigation Seems Important "
Because of its location in Manhattan – a global intersection for business, finance and terrorism Second organized crime – the SDNY, which celebrated its 225th anniversary in 2014, has extensive experience prosecuting the most complicated and significant cases, including the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, work on the attacks of 11 September 2001, attacks on 1988 bomb against United States embassies in Africa, organized crime and mafia affairs, Ponzi Bernie Madoff plot and financial crime and corruption cases
The Manhattan location also makes SDNY a privileged place to sue Trump-related entities, including potentially his business, his campaign, his inauguration committee and more, said Harry Sandick, former US assistant prosecutor in the district. ] People have long wondered why they raised more than $ 100 million, twice as much as in previous inaugurations.
"Since the Trump Organization is located in New York, many of the advisors and business partners are also located in New York and have taken action in New York," he said, "they have the opportunity, in the US Attorney's Office, to review basically all the crimes that they believe could have been committed. itted. And they can simply switch from one topic to another when they find links. "
As far as we are aware, the SDNY was brought for the first time to a Trump-related lawsuit with Mueller's removal of evidence of the crimes committed by Michael Cohen, a former Trump lawyer. Led a raid on Cohen's apartment and office last April, seizing documents and devices.Cohen pleaded guilty in August for violating campaign finance laws, bank fraud and theft. tax evasion, and should begin his three-year jail sentence next month.
The Cohen case may have given rise to an investigation by the Trump Inaugural Committee Prosecutors Investigate Charges conspiracy against the United States, misrepresentation, postal fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, violations of the committee's disclosure and laws prohibiting contributions from foreign countries.
" L & # 39; investigation Inaugural you seem important, "Sandick said. . "People have long wondered why they collected more than $ 100 million, twice as much as in previous inaugurations."
Conduct – The inaugural inquiry of the committee may have a different primary source: the Testimony of Trump's former help, Rick Gates, who cooperates with prosecutors after pleading guilty last year to conspiracy and lying to the FBI. Gates was vice-chairman of Trump's inauguration committee.
"They collect large amounts of data," Richman from the SDNY team said. "They talk to a wide range of witnesses, some of whom have already been involved, others who are just witnesses. And I suspect that they have enough people in the case, both at the level of the agent and the prosecutor, to follow all the instructions.
Prosecutors will have to make a judgment call regarding potential cases to be brought in, said Sandick, adding, "When I was in this office, we were always taught that the most important cases you are experiencing are sometimes the ones you do not blame. Because you decided that the evidence did not exist.
"These are professional prosecutors, this is not an inquisition". Honig said, "I know that the Southern District is not afraid of having a real conflict, a real disagreement with the Justice Department and sometimes prevails," Honig said. "I think the fact that the southern districts issued this subpoena tells you that they are able to continue quite aggressively."
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