The presiding judge in the trial for fraudulent actions by Donald Trump inquires about a potential agreement for Allen Weisselberg to plead guilty to perjury.
2020 impeachment trial refused to dismiss the case and will proceed with the trial.
The judge presiding over the 2020 impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump declined to dismiss the case and will move forward with the proceedings.
A trial for civil fraud in New York.
On Tuesday, it was stated that the consideration of a potential perjury charge against Allen Weisselberg, the previous CFO of the Trump Organization, will play a role in the decision-making process.
Judge Arthur Engoron reached out to attorneys representing both former President Trump and the New York Attorney General’s Office, seeking advice on how to approach a recent New York Times article. The article reported that Allen Weisselberg is currently discussing a potential guilty plea for perjury.
Weisselberg’s testimony in the civil case, where he is also a defendant, was abruptly interrupted in October due to an article by Forbes alleging that he perjured himself.
According to the report, the financial statements exaggerated the size and value of Trump’s penthouse apartment in Trump Tower, claiming it was worth hundreds of millions of dollars more than its actual worth.
During his testimony, Weisselberg stated that he did not pay much attention to the triplex apartment’s value. However, an article published by Forbes in October claimed that emails from Weisselberg to journalists from previous years indicated that he had a significant role in falsely supporting the apartment’s valuation.
According to the New York Times, Weisselberg has been in talks with the Manhattan district attorney to admit to committing perjury for his sworn testimony. A source who is aware of the situation also verified these negotiations to CBS News.
Michael M Santiago/GettyImages / Getty Images
A representative for Alvin Bragg, the District Attorney of Manhattan, chose not to provide a statement. Bragg’s team previously obtained a confession from Weisselberg as part of their ongoing 2022 fraud investigation against the Trump Organization, resulting in the company being convicted of 17 felony charges.
James’ workplace refused to provide a statement. Lawyers representing the accused did not respond to inquiries for a statement.
The Forbes article primarily discussed Weisselberg’s testimony regarding the Trump Tower apartment. However, Engoron mentioned in a letter to attorneys that if Weisselberg confesses to perjury, other subjects could also be subject to scrutiny. The judge suggested that he may deem Weisselberg’s lengthy testimony to be untrustworthy.
He requested that lawyers submit a letter by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, providing any information related to the matter that does not conflict with their professional ethics or obligations.
Engoron requested feedback on how to handle the matter, if necessary, and when a final decision should be made.
The expected date for the judge’s decision in the case was originally Jan. 31st. So far, Trump and the other defendants have been found guilty of fraud, but the judge has not yet made a ruling on other allegations that were brought up during the trial. All of the defendants, including Trump, have denied any wrongdoing.
The decision made by Engoron was postponed due to a letter dated Jan. 26 from a designated overseer who monitors the Trump Organization’s financial matters. The letter outlined deficiencies and inconsistencies in the company’s most recent financial reports.
This story was updated to correct an error in editing, as the previous version had misspelled Allen Weisselberg’s first name.
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Source: cbsnews.com