- The Manhattan DA is returning evidence to witnesses in its Donald Trump investigation, per The Daily Beast.
- It's a sign that the investigation may be winding down.
- It came after a lead investigator in his resignation letter said the probe was being dropped.
The office of Manhattan District Attorney has started returning evidence to witnesses in its investigation into Donald Trump in a possible sign it's winding down the probe, The Daily Beast reported.
Two sources told the outlet that witnesses who gave evidence to prosecutors had been receiving it back recently.
Prosecutors generally return evidence to witnesses after an investigation has concluded, or when they no longer believe a crime has taken place.
The development comes after the The New York Times on Wednesday published the resignation letter of Mark Pomerantz, one of the two lead prosecutors on the case. Hew quit last month after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg expressed doubts about moving forward with the case against Trump.
In the letter, Pomerantz says he believed that Trump committed numerous crimes, including committing tax fraud by lying on his financial statements.
The investigation is the most high-profile being conducted into the former president. A linked civil probe is being conducted by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The Manhattan DA investigation was launched in 2019 after Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, told Congress that Trump was a tax cheat. Last year, the Manhattan DA charged Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Org's CFO, with using valuable company perks to dodge taxes.
But after taking over as Manhattan DA from Cyrus Vance in 2021, Bragg have expressed skepticism about the grounds for investigating Trump, The Times reported earlier in March.
The paper said he does not believe there is evidence that Trump was deliberately seeking to mislead tax authorities. Evidence of deliberate intent is necessary for sustaining tax fraud charges.
Trump has repeatedly denounced the investigation as a political witch hunt, and has adamantly denied any wrongdoing.
The Manhattan DA did not immediately return a request for comment from Insider, and has said in previous statements its investigation into Trump is "ongoing."
Trump's accountancy firm, Mazars, recently cut ties with him claiming that financial statements provided by him over several years could not be trusted.