According to a new report from Reuters, Manhattan prosecutors are working to flip longtime Trump ally Allen Weisselberg, who is the Chief Financial Officer at the Trump Organization. Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance is investigating potential wide-ranging fraud at the Trump family business, and Weisselberg, who has worked with the Trumps for decades, would be in a position to provide critical firsthand knowledge. In the prosecution of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen on crimes including campaign finance law violations, Weisselberg already received limited immunity in exchange for information, so there’s a relevant precedent.
Few people have been as deeply involved in Donald Trump’s finances as Allen Weisselberg, a trusted figure in Trump’s family business. Legal experts and a source say the prosecutors’ goal is to convince him to cooperate with the probe into Trump’s dealings https://t.co/Y3lZV0bSV7
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 7, 2021
Now, Reuters reports as follows:
‘Legal experts and a source familiar with the criminal investigation say prosecutors’ apparent goal is to convince Weisselberg to cooperate with the probe into Trump’s dealings.’
The source added that prosecutors — who recently received troves of Trump’s financial records following a U.S. Supreme Court order granting them access to the material — “want [Weisselberg] to turn.” It’s not clear how open that Weisselberg might be to the idea of flipping on Trump, although the potential choice between criminal charges for himself and providing information that could implicate the ex-president might induce Weisselberg to lean a certain direction. Legal experts suggested to Reuters that Trump himself could put Weisselberg on the rocks via attempting to shift blame to the longtime Trump business accountant for any financial misconduct.
Meanwhile, the Vance investigation has dished out subpoenas, conducted key interviews with people like Cohen, and even brought on Mark Pomerantz, who has substantive experience dealing with organized crime, to help with the probe. According to the report from Reuters, “in addition to scrutinizing Weisselberg, prosecutors also asked questions about his sons, who also had connections with Trump: Jack Weisselberg, a director at Ladder Capital – a real estate investment firm that’s been a creditor for four Trump properties – and Barry Weisselberg, who managed skating rinks under Trump contracts with New York City.” New York City authorities have moved to end those contracts in protest of Trump’s role in inciting the Capitol rioting.
Vance’s criminal investigation is dealing with “possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct” at the Trump family business, according to a court filing from last year. Besides this investigation, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose jurisdiction is in the Atlanta area, is also leading a criminal investigation of Trump’s efforts to subvert the election outcome in Georgia, where Biden won.
