Manhattan DA’s office gives Trump attorneys Monday afternoon deadline to show criminal charges aren’t warranted

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., according to the Washington Post, has notified attorneys for former President Donald Trump that they have until this Monday afternoon, June 28, to make any arguments as to why the Trump Organization should not face criminal charges in connection with its financial activities.

This information, journalists Shayna Jacobs, Josh Dawsey and David A. Fahrenthold report in the Post, comes from two sources who are "familiar with the matter" and spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to the Post reporters, "That deadline is a strong signal that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. (D) and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) — now working together, after each has spent more than two years investigating Trump's business — are considering criminal charges against the company as an entity. Earlier this year, Vance convened a grand jury in Manhattan to consider indictments in the investigation. No entity or individual has been charged in the investigations thus far, and it remains possible that no charges will be filed."

Under New York State law, prosecutors can file criminal charges against companies as well as individuals. This means that Vance's office could decide to file criminal charges against the Trump Organization itself or someone who is part of the company, including Donald Trump or the Trump Organization's chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.

Jacobs, Dawsey and Fahrenthold note, "Prosecutors have shown interest in whether Trump's company used misleading valuations of its properties to deceive lenders and taxing authorities, and in whether taxes were paid on fringe benefits for company executives, according to court documents and people familiar with the investigations…. Last Thursday, lawyers working for Trump personally and for the Trump Organization met virtually with prosecutors to make the case that charges were not warranted. Meetings like these are common in financial investigations, allowing defense attorneys a chance to present evidence before prosecutors make a decision on whether to seek charges."

According to the Post reporters, "People familiar with the probe confirmed to the Washington Post that prosecutors were looking at charging the Trump Organization as an entity, as well as Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, following Weisselberg's refusal to assist in the investigation."