Allen Weisselberg, longtime chief financial officer for the Trump Organization, and the Organization itself, will be arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday on tax charges.
Weisselberg turned himself in to the Manhattan D.A.’s office on Thursday and with lawyers for the Trump Organization, and will be in court on Thursday. A report from Axios says that Weisselberg’s attorneys say he will plead not guilty, and also said that he will “fight these charges in court.”
The exact number and type of charges will be released on Thursday after the indictment is unsealed.
Breaking WaPo: A grand jury in Manhattan has filed criminal indictments against the Trump Organization and CFO Allen Weisselberg, according to two people familiar with the indictments.https://t.co/Blv4In2UFd
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 30, 2021
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How This Latest Round Began
Almost immediately after Donald Trump came down the escalator in Trump Tower in 2015 to announce his candidacy for president, various entities have been in search of some sort of wrongdoing by Trump himself, his children, or employees of the Trump organization.
Indicting the Trump Organization is the end result of over two years of investigation by Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance Jr.
The investigation started with questions about accounting procedures that were allegedly tied to “hush-money” payments made by Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen.
The allegations are now whether or not the Trump Organization manipulated the value of its properties.
A report from CNN says that it is rare for prosecutors to bring charges on a company or corporation based on fringe benefits that a company or corporation provides.
Trump Organization attorneys have been in talks with the D.A.’s office in recent weeks in an attempt to avoid bringing charges. The Trump Organization released a statement which read in part, “The District Attorney is bringing a criminal prosecution involving employee benefits that neither the IRS nor any other District Attorney would ever think of bringing. This is not justice; this is politics.”
The statement continued, saying that Weisselberg, who has been with Trump and his Organization since 1973, is being used “as a pawn in a scorched earth attempt to harm the former President.”
Michael Cohen @MichaelCohen212 is the main reason these Trump Organization indictments are happening. He’s been to prison, he’s still under house arrest, and he’s gotten no leniency for his cooperation. Time to cut him a break.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) July 1, 2021
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Investigations
This investigation, which began in 2019, is just the latest in a string of probes and investigations into Donald Trump’s personal and professional finances.
Earlier, the news was about a deal to pay off adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with the former president.
Like most businessmen, Donald Trump has had ventures that succeeded and failed, like Trump Steaks.
Trump is also in a protracted audit battle with the IRS. He has mentioned this many times over the years when explaining why he could not release any tax information, either prior to becoming president or after.
So Manhattan's TDS D.A. is charging the Trump Organization with petty untaxed fringe benefits after digging for a crime for 6 years? Absolutely pathetic charges.
— LivePDDave ?? ? ? (@LivePDDave1) June 30, 2021
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What Happens Now
Donald Trump and his family members will not be charged in this latest round of what Trump often refers to as a “witch hunt.”
However, Trump attorney Ron Fischetti told the Associated Press on Monday, “I can’t say he’s out of the woods yet completely.” Fischetti added that the findings of the prosecutors were “highly underwhelming.”
President Trump put out a statement that said in part,
“They leak, they lie, and they campaign based on information that has already been gone through in other of the many investigations I have put up with. Now they just leaked that we were given one day, today, to make our case about things that are standard practice throughout the U.S. business community, and in no way a crime. They also know that no matter how strong our case, they will work hard to embarrass us and the Republican Party.”
NEW: Attributable to a spokesperson for The Trump Organization via @NicoleSganga “Allen Weisselberg is a loving + devoted husband, father + grandfather who has worked at the Trump Organization for 48 years. He is now being used by the Manhattan D.A. as a pawn in a scorched earth
— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) July 1, 2021
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