Donald Trump responded promptly.

This is the continuation of the "greatest witch hunt in American history" - purely political and an affront to the nearly 75 million voters who supported him in the presidential election.

"Highly partisan Democratic prosecutors" pushed the case against him, the former president found.

Mainly one person was meant: Cyrus Vance, the District Attorney of Manhattan.

After two years of investigations against the "Trump Organization" it could now come to a showdown.

Majid Sattar

Political correspondent for North America based in Washington.

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    Vance's authority had previously convened a so-called grand jury - the jury decides according to Anglo-Saxon criminal procedure law in a non-public procedure whether charges will be brought after possible criminal allegations have been presented.

    The jury will meet three times a week for the next six months.

    End of his career

    The move first reported by the Washington Post is generally understood as follows: Vance believes he can prove criminal offenses. Not necessarily from Trump. It could also be that in the end only employees of his real estate empire will be charged, such as its CFO Allen Weisselberg. Or no one either. But since Vance is leaving office next January after twelve years as a district attorney, the interpretation goes around that the indictment against Trump is the end of his career. Any possible legal process would be in the hands of his successor. It would be a first in American history: a previous president has never had to defend himself in criminal proceedings.

    Vance had fought for the surrender of Trump's tax documents in the Washington Supreme Court in February. Perhaps this contained information that led to the convening of the grand jury. Vance's prosecutors are also said to have pressured CFO Weisselberg to cooperate with the judiciary and testify against Trump. Weisselberg's lawyers did not comment. In addition to the public prosecutor's office in Manhattan, Letitia James, the attorney general of the state of New York, is also investigating the "Trump Organization". Only last week it became known that this procedure also has a criminal law dimension. Both Vance's investigation and that of the Justice Secretary ultimately go back to the testimony of Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen. Cohen,who had been sentenced to jail for tax evasion, among other things, had broken with Trump and cooperated with the judicial authorities. He also reported on the business conduct of his former boss to the Congress in Washington.

    Are the two preliminary investigations related?

    The investigation against the "Trump Organization" is about the allegation that the company has made false statements about the value of its real estate.

    There is suspicion that real estate values ​​have been extrapolated to banks in order to obtain cheaper loans.

    In relation to the tax authorities, however, these were then downscaled.

    There are indications that the two investigations are related. For example, court records show that both the Albany Department of Justice and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office have requested access to files in Trump shops in the suburbs of New York and Chicago. In both cases, Trump, who was not yet president at the time, obtained tax rebates in the double and triple-digit million range. The fact that the Ministry of Justice has now upgraded its investigation to a criminal case is seen as an indicator that the agency is acting with intent. Trump accuses not only Vance, but also New York's attorney general for political motives, especially since James announced in her 2018 election campaign that he would be tried.

    If the jury should bring charges in six months, it would also be a serious political setback for Trump. The former president has announced that he will be pushing through candidates in the Republican primary that are committed to him. The 2022 congressional elections are not just about whether the Democrats will defend their majorities in both chambers. The directional struggle among the Republicans will also be decided. A lawsuit in New York would only interfere.