Donald Trumps Odds of Staying Out of Prison Are Rapidly Dwindling – Vanity Fair

The last time we checked in on the legal comings and goings of Donald Trump, things were not looking so hot for the former president of the United States. In addition to being the defendant in no fewer than 29 lawsuits, per The Washington Post, he was the subject of numerous criminal investigations, including one in which attorneys had obtained access to his tax returnsdocuments that for some reason he spent the last four years fighting tooth and nail to keep secret. Now, two and half months after leaving the White House, have Trumps legal fortunes miraculously improved? In a word, no. In three words, hell fuck no. In 19 words, the 45th president of the United States should probably just resign himself to the prospect of going to prison.

On Wednesday The New York Times reported that the Manhattan District Attorneys office, which is investigating Trump for possible bank, tax, and insurance fraud, had subpoenaed the personal bank records of Allen Weisselberg, a significant escalation in its quest to flip the longtime Trump Organization chief financial officer. Weisselberg has kept Trumps books since the 80s and became CFO of the family business in 2000, once describing himself in a deposition as Trumps eyes and earsfrom an economic standpoint. Perhaps most crucially, Weisselberg has testified about Trump matters in the past, in exchange for personal protection; in 2018, he was granted federal immunity to provide information concerning the hush-money payments made to Stormy Daniels.

Per the Times:

In recent weeks, the prosecutors havetrained their focuson the executive, Allen H. Weisselberg, in what appears to be a determined effort to gain his cooperation. Mr. Weisselberg, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, has overseen the Trump Organizations finances for decades and may hold the key to any possible criminal case in New York against the former president and his family business. It is unclear whether Mr. Weisselberg would cooperate with the investigation and neither his lawyer, Mary E. Mulligan, nor [D.A. Cyrus] Vances office would comment. But if a review of his personal finances were to uncover possible wrongdoing, prosecutors could then use that information to press Mr. Weisselberg to guide them through the inner workings of the company.

Separately, the prosecutors are also seeking a new round of internal documents from the Trump Organization, including general ledgers from several of its more than two dozen properties that the company did not turn over last year, according to the people with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details. The ledgers offer a line-by-line breakdown of each propertys financial situation, including daily receipts, checks, and revenues. The prosecutors could compare those details against the information the company provided to its lenders and local tax authorities to assess whether it fraudulently misled them.

In addition to the developments in the Manhattan D.A.s criminal probe, Trump was also sued on Tuesday by two Capitol Police officers who battled the angry mob he sicced on the Capitol building and are demanding damages for the physical and emotional injuries they suffered during the attack. In the federal lawsuit, officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby claim that for months Trump whipped his supporters into a frenzy over baseless election claims which culminated in the insurrection that left five people dead.

Per The Washington Post:

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Donald Trumps Odds of Staying Out of Prison Are Rapidly Dwindling - Vanity Fair

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