Via AP:
Donald Trump’s company and his longtime finance chief are expected to be charged Thursday with tax-related crimes stemming from a New York investigation into the former president’s business dealings, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The charges against the Trump Organization and the company’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, appear to involve non-monetary benefits the company gave to top executives, possibly including use of apartments, cars and school tuition.
The people were not authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation and did so on condition of anonymity. The Wall Street Journal was first to report that charges were expected Thursday.
The charges against Weisselberg and the Trump Organization would be first criminal cases to arise from the two-year probe led by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., a Democrat who leaves office at the end of the year.
Prosecutors have been scrutinizing Trump’s tax records, subpoenaing documents and interviewing witnesses, including Trump insiders and company executives.
Via Raw Story:
According to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, a top executive at the Trump Organization is not a necessary component in the potential legal prosecution of the ex-president.
New York prosecutors are reportedly considering criminal charges against Allen Weisselberg, the longtime chief financial officer for the Trump Organization. Legal observers have noted that Donald Trump himself could face repercussions if Weisselberg decides to cooperate with the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation of the Trump Organization.
Daniel Goldman, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York who served as the lead counsel for House Democrats in the first Trump impeachment trial, predicted on Twitter that “if Allen Weisselberg does not cooperate with the Manhattan DA’s office — and all indications are that he has not and will not — that office will not be able to criminally charge Donald Trump for any of the conduct under investigation.”
“Wrong!” Cohen wrote in response. “They have documents to prove more than you know or should be commenting on. Weisselberg is not the key to a Trump indictment.”
Cohen has met with top officials from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office several times this year.
