>>> HE IS AMERICA'S -- OUR OWN
AMERICAN WAR CRIMINAL.
>> HE SHOULD BE SENT TO JAIL
TODAY.
>> ANY WAY A PERSON CAN LIE AND
CHEAT AND STEAL FOR HIS ENTIRE
LIFE, DONALD TRUMP HAS.
>> I THINK HE NEEDS TO GO TO
JAIL FOR A LONG TIME.
>> FROM ANALYSTS TO FORMER
COLLEAGUES, PEOPLE WHO KNOW
DONALD TRUMP'S CONDUCT HAVE LONG
SAID HE BELONGS IN JAIL.
THE -- DONALD TRUMP
IS NOT HEADING TOWARDS
INDICTMENT IN NEW YORK, LET
ALONE JAIL.
AND SINCE NEW YORK HAS THE MOST
ADVANCED CRIMINAL PROBE, THAT
MEANS DONALD TRUMP WILL PROBABLY
NEVER BE INDICTED FOR ANYTHING
HE'S DONE, UP TO THIS MOMENT
THAT I'M SPEAKING TO YOU RIGHT
NOW.
THE REASONS MATTER.
THE NEW D.A. IN NEW YORK JUST
PAUSED THE ENTIRE CRIMINAL PROBE
OF TRUMP'S FINANCES.
THAT WAS THE SUCCESSFUL
INVESTIGATION WHICH EVEN WON A SUPREME COURT CASE TO GET THE
SUPREME COURT CASE TO GET THE
TAX RETURNS.
BUT NOW WE KNOW THAT IS AS FAR
AS THIS PROBE WILL GO.
AFTER MUCH SPECULATION AND A FEW
LEAKS HERE AND THERE, WHAT'S NEW
RIGHT NOW IS THE FIRST WRITTEN
ON THE RECORD REBUKE OF TRUMP'S
ALLEGEDLY CRIMINAL CONDUCT IN
NEW YORK, IN HIS BUSINESS, BY
THE TOM LINE PROSECUTOR, WHO HAS
BEEN WORKING THIS VERY CASE FOR
YEARS.
THAT PROSECUTOR GOT THE TAX
RETURNS, RAN THE GRAND JURY
PROBE, TOOK WHAT HE CALLS
DAMNING EVIDENCE FROM MANY
WITNESSES AND CONCLUDED TRUMP IS
GUILTY OF NUMEROUS FELONY
VIOLATIONS.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" OBTAINED
THE PROSECUTOR'S LETTER, WHICH
CAME WHEN HE RESIGNED A OF THE
D.A. PAUSED THE CASE.
THE PROSECUTOR WRITES THE
FAILURE TO INDICT TRUMP IS A
GRAVE FAILURE OF JUSTICE ITSELF.
THAT PROSECUTOR CLEARLY THOUGHT
HE WAS ON SOME KIND OF PATH TO
CHARGES UNDER THE PREVIOUS D.A.,
CY VANCE, A D.A. WHO PURSUED
SOME HIGH PROFILE CASES, BUT WAS
KNOWN TO WAFFLE QUITE FRANKLY.
IF YOU WATCH THIS SHOW, WE
REPORTED LAST YEAR THAT THAT
D.A., CY VANCE, HAD ALREADY
PUNTED ON HIS PRIOR PROBE OF THE
TRUMP COMPANY AND COULD DO THAT
AGAIN.
HE WAS CRITICIZED FOR FOLLOWING
THE PATH OF MANY OTHER
PROSECUTORS AFTER THE 2008
FINANCIAL CRASH, TREATING MOST
BANK'S ACTIVITIES AKIN TO BAD
JUDGMENT THAN CRIME.
THERE ARE THREE DOORS HOW THIS
PROBE ENDS.
IT COULD END LIKE THE D.A.'S
LAST TRUMP ORG CASE, CLOSED
WITHOUT ANY CHARGES.
NOW, VANCE KEPT THE PROBE GOING
BUT HE LEFT OFFICE WITHOUT
CHARGING OR CLEARING FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
IT WAS THE BIGGEST CASE IN HIS
OFFICE, SO VANCE BASICALLY
PUNTED ON THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
CHARGING DECISION IN THE HISTORY
OF THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY.
THAT WAS NOT ONLY A DODGE, BUT
IT FORCED THIS VERY TOUGH CALL
ON HIS NEW REPLACEMENT, WHO
WOULD HAVE LESS EXPERIENCE ON
THE JOB OR FAMILIARITY WITH THE
LONG-RUNNING PROBE.
AND SOMEONE WE HAVE SPOKEN TO ON
THIS PROGRAM, ALVIN BRAGG.
WE FOLLOW THE FACTS AND PEOPLE
IN POWER, SO I ASKED HIM ABOUT
THIS VERY CASE MORE THAN ONCE.
WITHIN WEEKS OF TAKING OFFICE,
HE EVEN SAID HE WAS FOLLOWING
THOSE FACTS TO MAKE A FINAL
DECISION ABOUT WHETHER TO INDICT
TRUMP.
>> I LED THE TEAM THAT HELD
TRUMP AND HIS CHILDREN
ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR
MISCONDUCT.
SO I GO WHERE THE FACTS GO.
>> DOES THAT MEAN THE DOOR IS
OPEN TO THE POTENTIAL
INDICTMENT?
>> WE ARE -- I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY
AS YOU KNOW, IT'S AN OPEN
INVESTIGATION AND WE'RE GOING TO
GO WHERE THE FACTS TAKE US.
I'M NOW OBVIOUSLY A NEW PERSON
LOOKING AT THOSE FACTS AS THE
FINAL DECISION MAKER.
AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF
DOING THAT.
>> THEY WERE IN THE PROCESS OF
DOING THAT TWO MONTHS AGO, AND
NOW WE KNOW THEY REALLY WERE.
BUT BRAGG GAVE SUCH A DEFINITIVE
NO WITHIN WEEKS ON THE JOB, YOU
HAVE THIS PROSECUTOR RESIGNING
IN PROTEST OVER THE CALL.
SO THINK ABOUT WHERE THIS LEAVES
US.
ONE D.A. SCORES A SERIES OF
VICTORIES IN A SUPREME COURT,
ONLY TO PUNT ON THE BIG FINAL
CALL.
THE POINT OF THE WHOLE THING, IF
YOU GO TO THE TOP OF THE CRIME
CONSPIRACY ALLEGED OR NOT.
ANOTHER D.A. COMES IN AND
DECIDES NOT TO INDICT, DRAWING
THIS OUTRAGED RESIGNATION.
THERE MAY BE VALID EVIDENTIARY
REASONS THAT BRAGG DECIDED TO
HIT PAUSE.
THE LINE PROSECUTOR THOUGHT
OTHERWISE.
BUT PROSECUTORS ARE WELL KNOWN
FOR DEVELOPING HIGH CONFIDENCE
IN THE CASES THEY THEMSELVES ARE
BUILDING.
NOW, WE KNOW THIS CASE NEVER
FOUND AT LEAST ACCORDING TO
PUBLIC RECORD, ANY WITNESS WHO
COULD FLIP.
AND WE KNOW SOMETHING ELSE,
PRESIDENT TRUMP APPROACHES HIS
EXAGGERATED FINANCIAL ESTIMATES
LIKE A BABY APPROACHES SPINACH
BABY FOOD.
GETTING PIECES OF IT ON EVERYONE
INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS, TO THE
POINT THAT EVERYONE IS A LITTLE
DIRTY AND NO ONE CAN SAY THEY'RE
NOT A PART OF IT.
I USE THE BABY ANALOGY
DELIBERATELY, BUT I MEAN IT.
THE AUDITORS, THE LAWYERS,
THEY'VE ALL HAD THESE NUMBERS
FOR A WHILE.
THEY'RE ALL KIND OF IN ONES A
PEGS OF IT.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT DONALD
TRUMP TOLD THE TRUTH.
HIS OWN AUDITORS DON'T EVEN SAY
HE TOLD THE TRUTH.
BUT IT MEANS HIS FINANCIAL
ACTIVITIES WERE HARD TO PIN ONLY
ON HIM.
AND NONE OF THIS MEANS THERE
WERE NEVER ANY LEGAL
CONSEQUENCES AT ALL.
THE PEOPLE JAILED OR INDICTED
FOR THEIR WORK FOR TRUMP INCLUDE
THE SAME COMPANY'S LAWYER, ITS
CFO, THE LONG-TIME FORMER
LOBBYISTS WHO HAS GOTTEN IN
TROUBLE FOR MORE THAN ONE THING.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE
EVIDENCE SHOWS DONALD TRUMP DID
EXPLOIT THE AMERICAN LEGAL
SYSTEM, MUCH AS HE EXPLOITED ITS
POLITICAL SYSTEM.
YOU DON'T ALWAYS NEED MORE VOTES
TO WIN, IT TURNS OUT.
YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH A LOT MORE
IF YOU'RE RICH AND POWERFUL, AS
MANY PEOPLE KNEW.
THEN AS EVERY EFFECTIVE THUG OR
GANGSTER KNOWS, YOU DON'T GO TO
JAIL FOR EVERYTHING YOU EVER
DID.