THE New York County District Attorney yesterday began the process of bringing criminal charges for tax evasion against the Trump Organization, the family firm of former President Donald Trump.
Following the decision of a grand jury to indict the Organization, the Manhattan-based District Attorney said he would release the charges yesterday evening, after The National had gone to press.
Sources in the US media say the indictment concentrates on tax-avoiding benefits for Trump employees.
The day began with the extraordinary sight of the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, a friend and close associate of Donald Trump for over 40 years, Allen Weisselberg, 73, turning himself in to the DA to face the tax-dodging charges in which he is named.
His lawyers said in a statement: “Mr. Weisselberg intends to plead not guilty and he will fight these charges in court.”
He is believed to have been targeted by the investigators in the hope that he will assist them rather than face jail.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the investigation into whether the Trump Organization and its employees illegally evaded taxes on fringe benefits is part of a larger probe by Manhattan prosecutors examining potential bank, insurance and tax fraud.
That may implicate Trump himself, and certainly yesterday’s charges were the first to allege criminality by the Trump Organization.
Speaking on CNN, Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio said it was “a very dark day” for Trump and his family.
“What do you think the reverberations are within Trump World this morning?” asked anchor John Berman.
D’Antonio said: “I think, given the fact that the former president’s identity is all tied up in this company and in the way that he did business for 50 years, this is a moment of anguish for this family.
“It’s almost as if they are personally under physical attack. And I think their greatest fear they have is that this process is going to unravel and reveal all of the methods that they have used over the years to gain and game the system. So this is a very dark day for the Trump family.”
Meanwhile, three of Trump’s most prominent critics - Republican Representative Liz Cheney and the two Democrats who led the two impeachments against him, Rep Adam Schiff and Rep Jamie Raskin - were named yesterday to serve on a special congressional panel probing the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 which led to five deaths and horrific scenes of violence against police.
It is not known yet whether the panel will have the power to summon Trump to answer questions on his role on the insurrection.
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