Trump hires powerhouse attorney to go after former Manhattan prosecutor

Donald Trump has hired one of America's top trial attorneys to go after a former Manhattan prosecutor who allegedly defamed him, TMZ reports.

Joe Tacopina sent a letter to Mark Pomerantz, claiming Pomerantz falsely stated in a 2022 resignation letter to Manhattan D.A. Alvin Braggthat Trump was "guilty of numerous felony violations" and that it was a "grave failure of justice not to hold [Trump] accountable by way of criminal prosecution."

Pomerantz, who had led the New York investigation into Trump's finances, resigned last year along with Carey Dunne, the other lead prosecutor on the case.

Pomerantz's letter said that he had quit over the decision by new Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg not to move ahead with prosecution of the Republican billionaire.

That decision, he wrote in the letter which the New York Times published in full, was "contrary to the public interest."

"The team that has been investigating Mr. Trump harbors no doubt about whether he committed crimes -- he did," Pomerantz wrote.

The investigation had probed whether Trump fraudulently overvalued multiple assets to secure loans and then undervalued them to minimize taxes.

It was launched by Bragg's predecessor Cyrus Vance, with Bragg taking over the case when he took office in January.

Tacopina also expressed concern over an upcoming book published by Pomerantz, saying it could contain more falsehoods about the former president.

"I strongly admonish you to take these next words seriously: If you publish such a book and continue making defamatory statements against my client, my office will aggressively pursue all legal remedies against you and your book publisher, Simon & Schuster," Tacopina's letter stated.

"Trust me, I will zealously use every possible legal resource to punish you and your publisher for the incredible financial harm that you have caused my clients to suffer," he added.

With additional reporting by AFP