Manhattan DA Reportedly Getting Closer And Closer To Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg, So Tick Tock, MF-er!
Any old time now would be fine, for America.
If you are like most good and patriotic Americans, you are reaching a weary point as we hit the summer, and most experts agree some damn indictments and perp walks would help. When oh when OH WHEN are some people going to start being held accountable for the misery America was just put through for four solid years, and also too the misery the same people are still putting America through? WHEN?
Tick tock!
Speaking of "tick tock," the New York Times reported last night that the clock's ticking and tocking may be getting super-urgent for Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, who reportedly may "face charges as soon as this summer."
In recent weeks, a grand jury has been hearing evidence about Mr. Weisselberg , who is facing intense scrutiny from prosecutors as they seek his cooperation with a broader investigation into Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization, the people with knowledge of the matter said. The prosecutors have obtained Mr. Weisselberg's personal tax returns, the people said, providing the fullest picture yet of his finances.
The Times emphasizes that it's still "unclear" whether Weisselberg will ultimately face charges. We guess it's always unclear until you see indictments start raining down. But all the same, it sounds like that possibility is getting closer and closer, as the Times reports the investigation into Weisselberg "appears to be heading into its final stages." Which to our layman's ears sounds like ohhhhhh they got him . And if they got Weisselberg, know who else they probably got? You know, allegedly ?
Even if Mr. Weisselberg chooses not to assist the investigation into his boss, charges against him could portend trouble for Mr. Trump, signaling that the prosecutors have identified what they believe is misconduct at his family business.
That's a very "they got him" paragraph from the New York Times !
Remember that thing we just said about how a weary America needs to see some people starting to face some consequences? Saying it again.
We've been hearing for the last several months how the New York investigations into Donald Trump — investigations led by state Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance that have now partially merged into one — are really putting the screws to Weisselberg, the man who knows where all the bodies are buried, who's been around every Trump business deal for the last 40 years, a man so devoted to Trump his former daughter-in-law Jennifer Weisselberg told the New Yorker he "has more feelings and adoration for Donald than for his wife." (Jennifer Weisselberg has reportedly been more than happy to help the investigators!)
They want him to flip. They want him to flip SO BAD.
But this report suggests that flip or no flip, Weisselberg might just have to face some charges of his own anyway. The fact that they have Weisselberg's own personal tax returns sounds like this might have extended beyond just what he knows about anything untoward Donald Trump may have done. Indeed, one might say it appears to have gotten personal :
The investigation into Mr. Weisselberg focuses partly on whether he failed to pay taxes on valuable benefits that Mr. Trump provided him and his family over the years , including apartments and leased cars as well as tens of thousands of dollars in private school tuition for at least one of his grandchildren. In general, those types of benefits are taxable, although there are some exceptions , and the rules can be murky. [...]
The district attorney's office recently questioned Mr. Weisselberg's top lieutenant, Jeffrey S. McConney , before a special grand jury hearing evidence in the Trump inquiry, people with knowledge of the matter have said. The testimony was the first sign that the grand jury was hearing evidence about Mr. Weisselberg.
The Times notes, however, rather drily, that "it is rare for prosecutors to build a criminal case solely around a failure to pay taxes on fringe benefits." Indeed, of all the tax lawyers they talked to for this story, none of them could remember the government ever doing that.
We guess it depends on how bad they want that big fish.
CATCH A BIG FUCKING FISH, NEW YORK. America needs you to do that, for mental health reasons.
[ New York Times ]
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"a weary America needs to see some people starting to face some consequences"
Make this phrase a dull background (or foreground?) roar. Fuck the cicadas. We need this ringing in Republicans' ears for something like the next 17 months. (I'm imagining the final scene of "V for Vendatta" I suppose.)
Amen.