Trump Organization finance chief subpoenaed in Cohen probe

Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, has been called to testify in front of a federal grand jury as part of the criminal investigation into Michael Cohen, President Trump's former personal lawyer, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
Weisselberg is considered a witness, the Journal says, and it's unknown if he's already appeared before the grand jury. Weisselberg, who once worked for Trump's father, has been described as being very loyal to Trump, and former Trump executives said he also oversaw many of Trump's household expenses and for several years prepared his tax returns.
On Tuesday, Cohen's attorney, Lanny Davis, released a tape of a conversation Cohen had in 2016 with Trump, which he secretly recorded. Cohen and Trump discussed buying the rights to a former Playboy model's story about an affair she said she had with Trump, and Cohen is heard saying he would set up a company to make the payment. "I've spoken with Allen Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up," Cohen says, but it's not clear if he did ever actually talk to Weisselberg about it; the payment was never made. People with knowledge of the matter told the Journal Cohen is being investigated for bank fraud and campaign-finance violations.
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.
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.
-
South Korea highlights: ancient history meets modern culture
The Week Recommends From the bright lights of Seoul to Busan's beaches and the 'living museum' of Gyeongju, this tour offers a taste of a unique heritage
-
July 22 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's birthday wishes for Jeffrey Epstein, Tulsi Gabbard, and renaming the Washington Commanders
-
Are we facing a summer of riots?
Today's Big Question Anti-immigrant unrest in Essex has sparked fears of a summer of disorder
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off