Prosecutors are reportedly frustrated by lack of cooperation from Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg


Manhattan prosecutors are getting frustrated with Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and his lack of cooperation with their investigation into the company, a person familiar with the matter told The Washington Post on Monday.
Weisselberg, 73, is the most senior executive at the Trump Organization who isn't a member of the Trump family. Prosecutors are looking into whether he paid taxes on benefits he received from former President Donald Trump, including leased cars and apartments, the Post reports. The hope has been that he would feel the squeeze and cooperate with a separate investigation into the Trump Organization and whether the company committed financial fraud by manipulating property values to get loans and tax benefits.
Former Trump Organization employees say Weisselberg plays a key role in the company and knows everything about its finances and taxes. He signs most checks and keeps a close eye on all expenses, and "to just say 'he's the money man' actually underestimates his role," Tristan Snell, the lead on the New York attorney general's completed investigation into Trump University, told the Post. "He was more than that even. He was the whole enchilada. Allen Weisselberg really ran the whole company."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Weisselberg continues to go into work at Trump Tower, and has been in the building when Trump is visiting. It's believed he's still regularly communicating with Trump, the Post reports, and by going into the office, he could be trying to show that he remains loyal and is rebuffing the prosecutors. A grand jury convened by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is expected to decide whether to indict Trump.
So far, Weisselberg and Trump have not been accused of any wrongdoing, but if prosecutors can prove the Trump Organization did misrepresent its assets to a bank, tax authorities, or insurers, this could be a legal disaster for Weisselberg, the Post says. Robert C. Gottlieb, a defense attorney and former prosecutor, told the Post he believes Weisselberg is "playing Russian roulette with the district attorney's office if he thinks that even if he is indicted he is going to get a pass. We're not talking about fraud involving a few thousand dollars, we're talking about allegations of a massive fraud involving millions of dollars over an extended period of time in which he as CFO."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein
-
Trump hits Africa, Middle East with new travel ban
Speed Read The travel ban bars visitors from 12 countries and restricts entry from seven
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students