The first indictments have been returned in New York. The bulk of the case against Trump’s company likely will be handled by DA Cyrus Vance Jr’s successor. “During his MSNBC show tonight, Lawrence O’Donnell revealed that even ahead of tonight’s indictment of Allen Weisselberg, Trump has been refusing to be alone in a room with him. Whenever the two have recently met or spoken, a third party has always been in the room.”
Allen Weisselberg is expected to surrender Thursday morning at the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. (D), two people familiar with the plan said. He is expected to be arraigned later in the day in front of a state court judge. The Trump Organization will also be arraigned, represented in court by one of its attorneys.
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Trump himself is not expected to be charged this week, the people said, and no others in his orbit are expected to face imminent charges. But the indictments could mark a significant escalation in his legal problems — both by exposing his company to potential fines and by raising the pressure on Weisselberg. Prosecutors hope Weisselberg will offer testimony against Trump in exchange for lessening his own risk, according to another person familiar with the case.
www.washingtonpost.com/...
BUT NOT TRUMP...(yet)
Initial charges by Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr will focus mainly on whether Weisselberg and other company officials received corporate perks and benefits, such as rent-free apartments and leased cars, that were not reported properly on their tax returns.
Prosecutors have been pressing Weisselberg, 73, to cooperate with their probe and provide testimony, so far without success. An indictment would increase that pressure. Weisselberg worked for the company since 1973 when it was run by Trump’s father, Fred.
The wide-ranging criminal investigation has examined an array of potential wrongdoing, including whether Trump Org manipulated property values to reduce taxes and secure more favorable loans.
More charges could be coming against the company or its officers in the weeks ahead
Prosecutors have focused on company's use of perks and benefits as form of compensation for corporate officials. Jennifer Weisselberg, ex-wife of Allen Weisselberg’s son Barry, met prosecutors a half-dozen times.
Barry helped manage two ice-skating rinks & carousel for Trump Org
Some of the loans New York prosecutors have been investigating were made by Ladder Capital - where Allen Weisselberg’s son Jack works.
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Then there’s this bit of disinformation:
Who shot Ashli Babbitt, the pro-Trump Air Force veteran who was killed by police during the January 6 riot at the US Capitol building? The American people were told that it was a Capitol Police officer who fired the fatal shot. But Cockburn has stumbled across some information that points to a different explanation.
Sources close to and within the intelligence community tell Cockburn that Babbitt was actually shot by a member of then-vice president Mike Pence’s protective detail. The VP’s detail, of course, is provided by US Secret Service, not the Capitol Police. One person asserted to Cockburn over drinks in DC that this is ‘basically an open secret’ in the intelligence community.
Law enforcement sources suggested to Cockburn that the Capitol Police Department and Department of Justice have publicly identified the shooter as a Capitol Police officer in order to protect the reputation of the Secret Service. Cockburn also wonders if this isn’t an attempt to protect Pence from further anger or threats from Capitol rioters who wanted him to refuse to certify the results of the election on January 6.
spectatorworld.com/...