美國前總統唐納德?特朗普在紐約正同時面臨兩起刑事調查,州總檢察長辦公室表示,正在進行的對這位前總統及其企業的民事調查現在轉為了刑事調查。
5月18日的晚間消息證實,總檢察長辦公室正在與曼哈頓地區檢察官辦公室合作進行這項調查。近兩年來,曼哈頓地區檢察官辦公室一直在嚴格審查特朗普及其公司特朗普集團(Trump Organization)。
地區檢察官辦公室一直在四處收集特朗普的稅務記錄,聘請了一名曾經調查過黑手黨的檢察官來負責調查,并一直在采訪包括特朗普的前私人律師邁克爾?科恩在內的證人。
到目前為止,還沒有跡象表明特朗普將受到指控。特朗普則繼續譴責整個事件屬于“政治迫害”。
下面我們來看看目前的情況。
紐約州總檢察長利蒂希婭?詹姆斯和曼哈頓地區檢察官小塞勒斯?萬斯都是民主黨人,兩年多來一直在同時調查特朗普及其企業。
萬斯的辦公室一直在調查,看這位共和黨前總統、他的公司或與他們有關的人員是否犯下了與以下事項有關的罪行:向聲稱與特朗普同床共枕的女性支付封口費、財產估價和員工薪酬。
詹姆斯的調查開始屬于民事調查,尋找可能違反國家法律、可被處以罰款等處罰的行為,而且調查方向和萬斯差不多?,F在,她的調查也涉及到了可能的刑事犯罪行為。
詹姆斯的辦公室說,最近他們已經告知了特朗普集團,表示對該公司的調查已經擴大到刑事領域??倷z察長辦公室于5月18日的晚間公開披露了這一變化。
詹姆斯的辦公室在一份聲明中說:“我們已經通知特朗普集團,我們對該公司的調查不再是純粹的民事性質。我們現在和曼哈頓地區檢察官辦公室一起,對特朗普集團展開刑事調查?!?/p>
詹姆斯的辦公室沒有解釋是什么促使改變了調查方向,也沒有解釋為什么要公開宣布這件事。
1999年至2003年在總檢察長辦公室擔任高級官員的小安德魯?G?切利說,民事調查轉為刑事調查通常不會發布公開聲明。
他說,這份聲明可能是一個跡象,“很快會有其他公開信息發布出來”,也可能是在“向證人和嫌疑人發出信息”。
另一種不那么戲劇性的可能性是,有人向媒體透露了這一變化,所以詹姆斯的辦公室被迫在被問及此事時公開回應。
切利說:“毫無疑問,這一聲明是出于一些戰略或戰術上的原因。像這樣的聲明都是意有所指,不會是憑空發布的?!?/p>
特朗普于5月19日發表了一份900詞的聲明,內容依舊是人們熟悉的對萬斯和詹姆斯調查的抱怨。
特朗普抗議說,他“受到了腐敗政治體系的不公平攻擊和虐待”,并辯稱刑事調查是民主黨陰謀的一部分,目的是讓他的選民保持沉默,阻止他再次競選總統。
特朗普還重申了他的老話,稱這些調查是“美國歷史上最偉大的政治迫害的延續”。
特朗普說:“沒有什么比不顧一切地尋找犯罪證據的調查更腐敗。但你沒有搞錯,現在的情況就是這樣?!?/p>
萬斯的辦公室援引大陪審團保密規則,尚未公開表示正在調查什么,但在為獲得特朗普稅務記錄展開法律戰期間,一些調查的細節被曝光出來。
萬斯調查了特朗普與借給其款項的人的關系、特朗普為獲得所得稅減免資格而捐贈的土地,以及他的公司針對其支付的數百萬美元咨詢費注銷稅費一事。
其中一部分錢給了特朗普的女兒伊萬卡,但她否認這中間有任何不當行為。在去年11月的一條推文中,她稱這次調查是“徹徹底底的騷擾”,并表示調查是“100%出于政治、宣傳和憤怒”。
詹姆斯的辦公室也一直在關注土地捐贈,并仔細審查與紐約市特朗普辦公樓、芝加哥一家酒店和洛杉磯附近一處高爾夫球場有關的記錄。
萬斯的調查最近幾周似乎集中在特朗普長期擔任財務主管的艾倫?魏塞爾貝格身上。他的前兒媳詹妮弗?魏塞爾貝格正在配合這兩項調查,在調查人員調查一些特朗普員工是否獲得了公寓或學校學費等賬外補償的過程中,她提供了大量稅務記錄和其他文件。
魏塞爾貝格在詹姆斯進行民事調查時曾經被傳喚,并在去年兩次作證。
特朗普的兒子埃里克也在接受調查時受到傳喚,并曾經在2020年11月的美國總統大選前作證。
不過,詹姆斯披露的擴大調查并不一定表明她正在計劃提起刑事訴訟,
如果要提起刑事訴訟,根據州法律,她需要得到郡地方檢察官(比如萬斯)、州長或州屬機構的授權。
切利說,在總檢察長辦公室進行的民事調查中發現刑事犯罪的證據,并非什么聞所未聞的事。
他說,在這種情況下,總檢察長辦公室的律師有時會被特別指定為當地地方檢察官辦公室的刑事檢察官。(財富中文網)
譯者:葛仲君
美國前總統唐納德?特朗普在紐約正同時面臨兩起刑事調查,州總檢察長辦公室表示,正在進行的對這位前總統及其企業的民事調查現在轉為了刑事調查。
5月18日的晚間消息證實,總檢察長辦公室正在與曼哈頓地區檢察官辦公室合作進行這項調查。近兩年來,曼哈頓地區檢察官辦公室一直在嚴格審查特朗普及其公司特朗普集團(Trump Organization)。
地區檢察官辦公室一直在四處收集特朗普的稅務記錄,聘請了一名曾經調查過黑手黨的檢察官來負責調查,并一直在采訪包括特朗普的前私人律師邁克爾?科恩在內的證人。
到目前為止,還沒有跡象表明特朗普將受到指控。特朗普則繼續譴責整個事件屬于“政治迫害”。
下面我們來看看目前的情況。
紐約州總檢察長利蒂希婭?詹姆斯和曼哈頓地區檢察官小塞勒斯?萬斯都是民主黨人,兩年多來一直在同時調查特朗普及其企業。
萬斯的辦公室一直在調查,看這位共和黨前總統、他的公司或與他們有關的人員是否犯下了與以下事項有關的罪行:向聲稱與特朗普同床共枕的女性支付封口費、財產估價和員工薪酬。
詹姆斯的調查開始屬于民事調查,尋找可能違反國家法律、可被處以罰款等處罰的行為,而且調查方向和萬斯差不多?,F在,她的調查也涉及到了可能的刑事犯罪行為。
詹姆斯的辦公室說,最近他們已經告知了特朗普集團,表示對該公司的調查已經擴大到刑事領域。總檢察長辦公室于5月18日的晚間公開披露了這一變化。
詹姆斯的辦公室在一份聲明中說:“我們已經通知特朗普集團,我們對該公司的調查不再是純粹的民事性質。我們現在和曼哈頓地區檢察官辦公室一起,對特朗普集團展開刑事調查。”
詹姆斯的辦公室沒有解釋是什么促使改變了調查方向,也沒有解釋為什么要公開宣布這件事。
1999年至2003年在總檢察長辦公室擔任高級官員的小安德魯?G?切利說,民事調查轉為刑事調查通常不會發布公開聲明。
他說,這份聲明可能是一個跡象,“很快會有其他公開信息發布出來”,也可能是在“向證人和嫌疑人發出信息”。
另一種不那么戲劇性的可能性是,有人向媒體透露了這一變化,所以詹姆斯的辦公室被迫在被問及此事時公開回應。
切利說:“毫無疑問,這一聲明是出于一些戰略或戰術上的原因。像這樣的聲明都是意有所指,不會是憑空發布的。“
特朗普于5月19日發表了一份900詞的聲明,內容依舊是人們熟悉的對萬斯和詹姆斯調查的抱怨。
特朗普抗議說,他“受到了腐敗政治體系的不公平攻擊和虐待”,并辯稱刑事調查是民主黨陰謀的一部分,目的是讓他的選民保持沉默,阻止他再次競選總統。
特朗普還重申了他的老話,稱這些調查是“美國歷史上最偉大的政治迫害的延續”。
特朗普說:“沒有什么比不顧一切地尋找犯罪證據的調查更腐敗。但你沒有搞錯,現在的情況就是這樣。”
萬斯的辦公室援引大陪審團保密規則,尚未公開表示正在調查什么,但在為獲得特朗普稅務記錄展開法律戰期間,一些調查的細節被曝光出來。
萬斯調查了特朗普與借給其款項的人的關系、特朗普為獲得所得稅減免資格而捐贈的土地,以及他的公司針對其支付的數百萬美元咨詢費注銷稅費一事。
其中一部分錢給了特朗普的女兒伊萬卡,但她否認這中間有任何不當行為。在去年11月的一條推文中,她稱這次調查是“徹徹底底的騷擾”,并表示調查是“100%出于政治、宣傳和憤怒”。
詹姆斯的辦公室也一直在關注土地捐贈,并仔細審查與紐約市特朗普辦公樓、芝加哥一家酒店和洛杉磯附近一處高爾夫球場有關的記錄。
萬斯的調查最近幾周似乎集中在特朗普長期擔任財務主管的艾倫?魏塞爾貝格身上。他的前兒媳詹妮弗?魏塞爾貝格正在配合這兩項調查,在調查人員調查一些特朗普員工是否獲得了公寓或學校學費等賬外補償的過程中,她提供了大量稅務記錄和其他文件。
魏塞爾貝格在詹姆斯進行民事調查時曾經被傳喚,并在去年兩次作證。
特朗普的兒子埃里克也在接受調查時受到傳喚,并曾經在2020年11月的美國總統大選前作證。
不過,詹姆斯披露的擴大調查并不一定表明她正在計劃提起刑事訴訟,
如果要提起刑事訴訟,根據州法律,她需要得到郡地方檢察官(比如萬斯)、州長或州屬機構的授權。
切利說,在總檢察長辦公室進行的民事調查中發現刑事犯罪的證據,并非什么聞所未聞的事。
他說,在這種情況下,總檢察長辦公室的律師有時會被特別指定為當地地方檢察官辦公室的刑事檢察官。(財富中文網)
譯者:葛仲君
Donald Trump is facing a one-two punch of criminal investigations in New York, with the state attorney general’s office saying its ongoing civil inquiry into the former president and his businesses is now a criminal matter.
The attorney general's office is conducting the probe, confirmed late May 18, in tandem with the Manhattan district attorney’s office, which has been scrutinizing Trump and his company, the Trump Organization, for about two years.
The DA’s office has been scouring Trump’s tax records, hired a former mafia prosecutor to help run its investigation and has been interviewing witnesses including Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.
So far, there’s no indication that charges are looming. Trump has continued to decry the whole thing as a “witch hunt."
Here’s a look at where things stand.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., both Democrats, have been running parallel investigations into Trump and his businesses for more than two years.
Vance’s office has been investigating whether the Republican ex-president, his company or people connected to them committed crimes relating to matters including hush-money payments for women who say they slept with Trump, property valuations and employee compensation.
James’ probe began as a civil matter, looking at possible violations of state laws punishable with penalties such as fines, and centered on some of the same issues. Her investigation now also pertains to possible criminal conduct.
James’ office said it recently informed the Trump Organization that its investigation into the company had expanded into a criminal matter. The attorney general’s office publicly disclosed the change May 18 night.
“We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the company is no longer purely civil in nature,” James’ office said in a statement. “We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA.”
James’ office offered no explanation for what prompted the shift in its approach to the investigation or why it chose to announce it publicly.
Andrew G. Celli Jr., a high-ranking official in the attorney general’s office from 1999 to 2003, said you don't typically see a public announcement when an investigation changes from civil to criminal.
He said the statement could be an indication “something else public is coming soon,” or could be a way of “sending a message to witnesses and targets.”
Another possibility, not as dramatic, is someone else tipped off media outlets about the change and James’ office was compelled to respond publicly when asked about it.
“No doubt, there is some strategic or tactical reason for this announcement,” Celli said. “Statements like this have meaning. They don’t come out of nowhere.”
Trump issued a 900-word statement on May 19 filled with familiar complaints about the investigations and digs at Vance and James.
Trump complained that he's being “unfairly attacked and abused by a corrupt political system" and contends the criminal probes are part of a Democratic plot to silence his voters and block him from running for president again.
Trump also repeated his oft-uttered claim that the investigations are “a continuation of the greatest political Witch Hunt in the history of the United States.”
“There is nothing more corrupt than an investigation that is in desperate search of a crime," Trump said. "But, make no mistake, that is exactly what is happening here."
Vance’s office has not publicly said what it is looking at, citing grand jury secrecy rules, but some details came out during the legal battle to get access to Trump’s tax records.
Vance’s investigation includes scrutiny of Trump’s relationship with his lenders; a land donation he made to qualify for an income tax deduction; and tax write-offs his company claimed on millions of dollars in consulting fees it paid.
Some of that money went to Trump's daughter, Ivanka, who has denied any wrongdoing. In a tweet last November, she called the investigation “harassment pure and simple" and said it was “100% motivated by politics, publicity and rage.”
James’ office has also been looking at the land donation and scrutinizing records relating to a Trump office building in New York City, a hotel in Chicago and a golf course near Los Angeles.
Vance’s investigation has appeared to focus in recent weeks on Trump’s longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg. His former daughter-in-law, Jennifer Weisselberg, is cooperating with both inquiries. She’s given investigators reams of tax records and other documents as they look into whether some Trump employees were given off-the-books compensation, such as apartments or school tuition.
Weisselberg was subpoenaed in James’ civil investigation and testified twice last year.
Trump's son, Eric, was also subpoenaed as part of that probe and testified before the November 2020 election.
James’ disclosure of a widening investigation is not necessarily an indication that she is planning to bring criminal charges.
If that were to happen, under state law, she'd need authorization from a county district attorney, like Vance, or the governor or a state agency.
Celli says it's not unheard of that a civil investigation conducted by the attorney general’s office will turn up evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
In such cases, he said, attorney general's office lawyers will sometimes be specially designated to work as criminal prosecutors with a local district attorney's office.