Ex-Trump Org exec left 'potentially priceless paper trail' for hush money trial: report
Newly uncovered emails from jailed Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg may provide a goldmine of information for prosecutors in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office that could bolster the hush money trial of Donald Trump, which is now in its second week of testimony.
Weisselberg is currently sitting in jail and is not expected to be a witness, although some notes he left behind are already in the hands of investigators. as the Daily Beast's Roger Sollemnbereger is reporting, "he left behind a potentially priceless paper trail," that may also lead to new charges.
At issue are emails written back in 2016 introducing Trump's financial wizard to the fledgling Trump presidential campaign that indicate he had more than a passing familiarity with FEC accounting that could come into play in the 34-count felony trial that includes financial fraud.
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As Sollenberger reported, "other documents obtained by The Daily Beast suggest that Weisselberg was in a unique position among the other witnesses — not only was he handling the Trump Org’s books, he was also apparently advising the campaign at the same time. Federal Election Commission records don’t show any campaign payments to Weisselberg, however, raising the prospect that Trump’s right-hand man may himself have made unreported contributions in the form of services for his 2016 bid."
The report adds, "According to internal Trumpworld emails, Weisselberg was an 'enormous help' to the 2016 campaign — a fact that has not appeared in previous public reporting, despite prior coverage of these same documents. Additionally, these records show that the hardened bookkeeper was apparently quite familiar with FEC filings. This cuts to the heart of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case: that the hush-money payoff to adult film star Stormy Daniels just ahead of the election was a campaign finance crime, which Trump then went to great lengths to keep from the public — allegedly criminal lengths."
The report adds that the Trump Org exec and the Trump campaign may have more problems over his unpaid involvement.
According to Jordan Libowitz, communications director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, "In-kind contributions are pretty simple. It’s right there in the name: in-kind. It’s something you give to a campaign or candidate that isn’t a monetary contribution,” before adding, "It’s definitely not a complicated matter for someone who spent decades working on the financial side of a corporation. It’s not hard for anyone to understand, let alone a controller for a multibillion-dollar corporation.”
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