Grand jury probe of Trump's business practices is active, Manhattan DA says

Grand jury probe of Trump¹'s business practices is active, Manhattan DA says

Transcript²

The district attorney of Manhattan Alvin Braggs is forcefully denying speculation³ that his office has ended a criminal investigation⁴ of former President Donald Trump over his business practices.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is forcefully denying speculation that his office has ended a criminal investigation of former President Donald Trump over his business practices. Two senior prosecutors⁵ working on the case resigned in February because of disagreements with Bragg. But NPR's Ilya Marritz says the DA is adamant⁷ the grand jury investigation of Trump is active.

ILYA MARRITZ, BYLINE⁸: When Alvin Bragg was sworn in in January, one of the most pressing decisions he faced was what to do with a potential case against Trump. Prosecutors have been developing evidence for years. And they seemed to be close to an indictment⁹ of the 45th president over financial statements that may have been misleading or false. But after being briefed on the evidence, DA Bragg suspended presentations to the grand jury. The two attorneys leading the effort promptly¹⁰ quit. One of them wrote a scathing¹¹ resignation letter that was leaked. Mark Pomerantz said he believes Donald Trump is guilty of numerous felonies and needs to be tried in the interest of equal justice. Now Bragg says his team is, quote, "going through documents, interviewing witnesses and exploring evidence not previously¹² explored."

REBECCA ROIPHE: It does seem like he is constantly on the defense¹³.

MARRITZ: Rebecca Roiphe is a professor at New York Law School and a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA's office. When I reached her, she was skeptical¹⁴ there might be new life in this probe.

ROIPHE: It's just very hard for me to imagine what more evidence he's going to find after these two seasoned prosecutors went through this very long and very intense examination of all these documents and witnesses.

MARRITZ: Another former attorney in the Manhattan DA's office, who asked that his name not be used, called the statement a nothing burger that was likely crafted, quote, "to assuage¹⁵ some of his supporters who are disheartened by the turn of events." It's rare for a prosecutor⁶ to speak publicly about an active investigation. Roiphe thinks Bragg may not have had much choice, given the intense interest in Trump. Whether or not Bragg ultimately decides to go for an indictment, he'll be dealing¹⁶ with Trump. Last summer, the DA's office brought a criminal case against the Trump Organization and its former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. That trial could begin as soon as this summer. Trump has consistently maintained that he did nothing wrong and is the target of a witch hunt, and that prosecutors are going after him for political reasons. Bragg pledged he will inform the public whatever decision he reaches on prosecuting¹⁷ Trump.

Ilya Marritz, NPR News, New York.

(SOUNDBITE OF DIEGO FRANCO'S "ENTE VIVAL")

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

6 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

7 adamant   

adj.坚硬的，固执的

参考例句：

• We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。
• Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。

8 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

9 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

10 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

11 scathing   

adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词)

参考例句：

• a scathing attack on the new management 针对新的管理层的猛烈抨击
• Her speech was a scathing indictment of the government's record on crime. 她的演讲强烈指责了政府在犯罪问题上的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

13 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

14 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

15 assuage   

v.缓和，减轻，镇定

参考例句：

• The medicine is used to assuage pain.这种药用来止痛。
• Your messages of cheer should assuage her suffering.你带来的这些振奋人心的消息一定能减轻她的痛苦。

16 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

17 prosecuting   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. 证人接受控方律师的盘问。
• Every point made by the prosecuting attorney was telling. 检查官提出的每一点都是有力的。