Former President Trump’s inner circle and legal experts are bracing for the political and legal fallout of charges being filed against his company as soon as Thursday.
Multiple news outlets reported New York prosecutors are expected to charge the Trump Organization, as well chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, with tax-related crimes. The charges stem from multi-year investigations by the Manhattan district attorney’s office as well as the New York attorney general’s office into the financial dealings of the Trump Organization.
The Wall Street Journal reported the company and Weisselberg are expected to face charges related to allegations that Trump Organization employees avoided paying taxes on fringe benefits like cars, apartments and other bonuses they received through the company.
Trump Organization lawyers reportedly presented arguments on Monday outlining why they did not believe prosecution was warranted, pointing in particular to the unusual nature of the charges.
“You’re talking about something that is totally unique in American history. People are talking about what’s common, what’s usual. Throw that out the window,” said Bennett Gershman, a law professor at Pace University who previously spent six years as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, referring to the unprecedented nature of investigating a former president and his business.
The Trump Organization and an attorney representing Trump in the case did not respond to requests for comment.
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