Allen Weisselberg perjury deal could be “big nail in the Trump civil fraud coffin,” says Andrew Weissmann.

Allen Weisselberg perjury deal could be “big nail in the Trump civil fraud coffin,” says Andrew Weissmann

Allen Weisselberg, the former longtime chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, is negotiating a deal with Manhattan prosecutors to plead guilty to perjury, according to The New York Times.

The deal would require Weisselberg to admit that he lied while testifying at Trump’s recent civil fraud trial and in an earlier interview with the New York attorney general’s office, sources told the outlet.

The reported deal comes after a long pressure campaign by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose team sought Weisselberg’s cooperation in several investigations into Trump’s business and alleged election crimes. Trump is scheduled for trial in Manhattan in March in the 2016 hush-money case.

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“Why has Judge Engoron not issued his decision on the Trump civil fraud? One reason could well be the news that the Trump chief financial officer may be pleading to lying to Judge Engoron in a way to help Trump,” tweeted former Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann. “And the Judge is waiting for that to support his decision against DJT. This [would] be another big nail in the Trump civil fraud coffin.”

  • pelespirit
    1·
    10 months ago

    CAN LEADERSHIP PACS BE USED TO PAY LEGAL FEES?

    The answer is tricky, according to legal experts. Generally, politicians cannot spend campaign money on legal expenses unless they are tied to a campaign, but many of the investigations involving Trump relate to his conduct as president and as a political candidate.

    However, leadership PACs such as Save America also are not allowed to directly support their own candidate’s campaign. Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School and an expert on campaign finance issues who has supported Democratic candidates, said that because Trump is fighting criminal charges during a presidential campaign, it is possible that covering legal fees could be considered a benefit to his campaign.

    https://www.reuters.com/world/us/can-trump-use-political-donations-pay-legal-defense-2023-08-01/

    • Telorand@reddthat.com
      2·
      10 months ago

      Yeah, but he would have to have a defense prepared for why using his existing PACs is legal.

      And even if it was (and I doubt it), paying off $500mil+ likely goes beyond the scope of such an allowance. NAL, but the ones I listen to think it’s not likely to succeed as a strategy.

      • pelespirit
        2·
        10 months ago

        I don’t know why he keeps getting away with everything, it’s kind of nuts that our system is broken by him.