His sweetheart's lesson from July 2006 could be significantly more expensive than it already was. TV star Donald Trump met porn star Stormy Daniels at a golf tournament in Nevada. The two shared a bed, but because he wanted to become US President ten years later, his people were forced to end the tryst with around $130,000. A profane hush money payment, which the prosecutors suspected could have been illegal campaign financing. So they started investigating and found the business practices of Trump's family company. Apparently they were or are so suspicious that 15 lawsuits have now been filed against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.
15 years of systematic tax evasion?
Specifically, the group and Weisselberg are accused of having systematically evaded taxes for at least 15 years. In the case of the 73-year-old, it is about taxes on services worth more than 1.7 million dollars. "The purpose of the system was to compensate Weisselberg and other Trump Organization executives in a way that was not on the books," the indictment said. The beneficiaries therefore received significant parts of their income in an indirect and disguised manner that was not reported to the tax authorities.
AnalysisChanging electoral lawsWith or without Trump – the Republicans want to use these tricks to win elections again
The reactions from the Trump camp are unsurprisingly irritated. Donald Jr., the son of the ex-president and vice president of the company, described the charges as "political persecution of a political opponent" such as a "banana republic". Lawyers for the Trump Organization have expressed a similar sentiment, and the former president himself has come out with a cryptic statement: "Are people seeing what prosecutors on the far left are trying to do to 75 million voters and patriots?" He was referring to his voters in the lost presidential election last year - according to official figures 74.2 million - and seemed to indicate that he too believes the indictment to be politically motivated.
No charges against Donald Trump
Donald Trump himself is not bothered by the investigators. Not yet anyway. New York Attorney General Letitia James said the criminal investigation was "ongoing": "This investigation will continue and we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead." It is therefore quite possible that the company boss will still be targeted by the judiciary.
Suspicion of tax fraudTrump organization and its chief financial officer accused of tax fraud
VideoWhether it comes to that depends, among other things, on Allen Weisselberg. The district attorney responsible, Cyrus Vance, is said to be putting pressure on the chief financial officer to get him to cooperate and testify against Trump. Similarly, Trump's former groomer and lawyer, Micheal Cohen, has already been persuaded to switch sides. The lawyer has now mutated into an opponent of Trump and comments on social media every step taken against the old confidante with gleeful malice. In a video, he advises Weisselberg to make a deal with the prosecutors, because "there is no other way for him to get out of the matter in one piece".
However, it is still completely unclear whether the chief financial officer will actually stab Trump in the back. Weisselberg has close ties to the Trumps, has already worked for father Fred and manages the (private) family fortune. According to the broadcaster NBC, the nature of the charges suggests that Weisselberg is not ready to cooperate, or not yet, because otherwise Chief Prosecutor Vance would already have more on hand against the ex-President or his company. Or maybe, NBC continues, "his lawyers just have a good defense strategy. They could, for example, shift everything onto Jeffrey McConney, Weisselberg's deputy, who has already testified."
"Trump will still have problems"
Michael Cohen shows how much the New York investigators depend on key witnesses. He was the one who paid the hush money to Stormy Daniels. Many investigation results are likely to be based on the statements of the 54-year-old. In his opinion, the story is far from over and Trump himself would still have problems: "In this company nothing works without his knowledge and consent. Whether it's buying paper clips, light bulbs, furniture or the school fees of Weisselberg's grandchildren - everything bears the initials or signature of Donald Trump," Cohen told CNN. If that's true, then the boss would be personally responsible for the possible misconduct.
Investigations against the Trump organization Allen Weisselberg dedicated his life to the Trumps - is he now bringing down Donald?
The "New York Times" commented on the progress of the proceedings in a similar way: "Given the relatively small group of people in the leadership and Trump's tendency to micromanage, there is good reason to believe that the ongoing investigation will get pretty close to the ex-president himself."
Sources: New York Times, NBC, New York Post, DPA, AFP, Michael Cohen on Twitter, RawStory.com
