In the wake of their successful acquisition of ex-President Donald Trump’s financial records — including his tax returns — prosecutors in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance are “combing through millions of pages of newly acquired records with an eye toward identifying witnesses who can bring the documents to life for a jury,” according to Reuters. Those who could testify against Trump and help reveal potential criminal activity at his family business include “bankers, bookkeepers, real estate consultants, and others close to the Trump Organization who could provide insights on its dealings,” the report adds.
Possible witnesses include former longtime Trump fixer Michael Cohen and current Chief Financial Officer at the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg. As summarized by Reuters, “Vance’s investigators need insiders who can provide the narrative behind any conflicting numbers on Trump’s financial records and testify to Trump’s knowledge and intent.” Jennifer Weisselberg — Allen’s ex-daughter-in-law — who has already spoken with Vance’s team multiple times — “said she believed her father-in-law would never testify against Trump voluntarily,” according to Reuters, although she added that she could envision Allen flipping against Trump if either he or one of his sons were facing potential criminal charges.
Cohen, who’s currently on home confinement over a case against him including his participation in a hush money scheme targeting women with whom Trump had affairs, seems likely to be ready to testify in front of a jury. He’s long since flipped against Trump and has already spoken with Vance’s team over half a dozen times, and he says that he’s “backed up each and every question posed by the district attorney’s office [with] documentary evidence.” He’s also said that he thinks that prosecutors have “more than” enough evidence to bring charges against Trump, if they so choose.
Trump, of course, has responded to investigative efforts by characterizing the probes as conspiracies against him. He’s claimed in the past that he’s the victim of the “biggest political scandal in American history,” which is laughable, obviously. Duly proceeding investigative efforts in response to duly documented behavior on the part of Trump and his associates do not constitute some kind of political persecution.
