D.A. to exit, hand off Trump case

Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, announced on Friday he would not run for reelection, setting off a wideopen race to lead one of the most important crimefighting offices in the country and making it highly likely that any potential case against former President Donald Trump will be left in a newcomer’s hands.

Vance made the longexpected announcement in a memo to his staff early Friday morning, just weeks before the filing deadline for the race. The many candidates clamoring to replace him are, with few exceptions, seeking to fundamentally reshape the office.

A scion of one of Manhattan’s wellknown liberal families, Vance is one of only four people to be elected Manhattan district attorney in nearly 80 years. He took office in 2010 and presided over the office during a decade when crime numbers plummeted and attitudes toward the criminal justice system changed.

Vance was the handpicked successor of Robert M. Morgenthau, who served for 35 years and built the office’s reputation as one of the largest and most ambitious prosecutorial agencies in the country.

The investigation into the Trump organization is ongoing. Last month, the New York Times reported that Vance had enlisted a former federal prosecutor with expertise in organized crime and whitecollar crime to help with the inquiry. If it results in charges, Vance’s successor will almost certainly oversee the case.

Vance’s announcement will inevitably prompt considerations of his legacy. But if he does bring charges against Trump, that action, and the success or failure of the resulting case, may singlehandedly determine how Vance is remembered.