‘Should make Trump very concerned’: Legal expert explains why prosecutors are going ‘all in’ on a criminal investigation

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced this week that she will be joining the Manhattan district attorney in an ongoing criminal fraud investigation into the Trump Organization. But according to POLITICO legal commentator Renato Mariotti, James' "unusual public statement" signals bad news for Trump and his family-run operation "but not for the reason you likely suspect."

According to Mariotti, the announcement shows a serious commitment by James to go "all in on the DA's criminal investigation."

"James didn't have to take this step. Her office could have continued to conduct a strictly civil investigation and brought a tax case or potentially even a case centered around violations of the Martin Act, the expansive New York securities statute that also covers real estate," Mariotti writes. "A veteran of James' office told me that any false statement in the offering terms or about the entity offering to sell interest in condominiums, for example, could serve as the basis for a Martin Act case. A civil case based on those false statements would not require proof the false statements were deliberate."

Mariotti's speculates that James' confidence in making the announcement is likely causing Trump some concern, since such an announcement could only be buoyed some very compelling evidence.

"...James' recent moves (including her decision to publicly join the criminal probe) are a sign that the evidence amassed by prosecutors is substantial and will likely result in charges," writes Mariotti. "James wouldn't rush to embrace a weak case. That should make Trump very concerned."

Read the full analysis over at POLITICO.