Former prosecutors and academics are divided on Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr.'s chances of success in avoiding New York's restrictive double jeopardy laws in his office's pursuit of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort Jr.

Vance's decision to secure an indictment against Manafort was clear enough when it was announced just moments after the former Ukrainian lobbyist was sentenced to a total of seven and a half years in federal prison by U.S. district judges in the Eastern District of Virginia and the District of Columbia.

If President Donald Trump would choose to issue a pardon for Manafort, state prosecutors in New York want the ability to keep him in legal jeopardy without the ability for the president to interfere. Trump said this week that he has not at this time considered an offer of clemency to his ex-campaign manager.