Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance is “expected” to issue criminal charges against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, on Thursday, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The charges are expected to cover “tax-related crimes,” according to the Journal report. Vance has been conducting a criminal investigation of the Trump Organization for years, looking into issues ranging from tax-related misconduct to illegal hush money payments for women with whom ex-President Trump had affairs.
Breaking WSJ: The Manhattan district attorney's office is expected to charge the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer with tax-related crimes on Thursday, people familiar with the matter said.https://t.co/jmOPlqLbcU
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 30, 2021
Specifically, as the Journal explains it, the Trump company provided an array of pricey “fringe benefits” to the Weisselbergs, including cars, apartment space, and private school tuition for one of Allen’s grandchildren. Vance has been investigating whether the required taxes were paid on these items. With charges looming, the apparent conclusion that the district attorney’s office has reached is that no, the taxes weren’t paid. Prosecutors have sought to obtain the cooperation of Allen Weisselberg in their probe, but so far, they’ve apparently been unsuccessful. Criminal charges could up the pressure on him to make a deal and potentially provide information about the company’s operations.
UPDATE: NBC News has confirmed the reporting on this matter from The Wall Street Journal.
BREAKING: Manhattan DA’s Office expected to charge the Trump Organization with tax-related crimes on Thursday, 2 representatives of the company tell @NBCNews. pic.twitter.com/9jE9qVJbF0
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 30, 2021
The former president has consistently lashed out against investigative efforts that he has faced. After reporting emerged revealing that New York prosecutors had given lawyers for the Trump Organization until this past Monday to make their case for why the company should not face charges, the former president characterized the New York proceedings as a “continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt of all time.” In other words, he’s still sticking to his self-obsession as closely as ever. In that same statement, Trump described himself as having “[saved] our Country” while in office, although — among other problems — hundreds of thousands of Americans died of COVID-19 while he golfed, posted on Twitter, and whined about face masks.
Vance has had some serious successes in his investigation so far. He has successfully obtained years of Trump’s financial records, including his tax returns, and the district attorney has also secured the cooperation of witnesses like former Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen and Jennifer Welsselberg, the former daughter-in-law of Allen Weisselberg.
