The last time Allen Weisselberg was under a spotlight, he told New York state investigators he signed documents without reading them—and didn’t realize he was a charity’s director.
Political Investigations Reporter
Published Oct. 06, 2021 5:07AM ET
When Donald Trump’s charity was caught making an illegal political donation years ago, his longtime right-hand finance man, Allen Weisselberg, signed a letter to law enforcement that chalked it up as a mere mistake. In reality, as The Daily Beast recently revealed, employees were well aware that the money was going to a Florida politician.
When the Trump Foundation made its annual tax filings with New York state that incorrectly listed that donation—making it seem like it was going to a legitimate nonprofit—Weisselberg signed off on the document, he said, without actually reviewing it.
By scribbling his signature with a thin black pen, he affirmed that he’d “reviewed this report” to make sure it was “true, correct, and complete.” As Weisselberg would later say, the truth was he hadn’t even read it.
“I may have just glanced through it,” he told investigators during a sworn interview in October 2017.
In fact, Weisselberg claimed to not even realize he was one of only three board members of the multimillion-dollar charity for 15 years.
“I'm not a director,” he swore. “I’m just a treasurer.”
Such is the standard operating procedure of the now-indicted chief financial officer of the Trump Organization. Although his current legal strategy in his tax fraud case has yet to be revealed—with his lawyers merely describing the prosecution as “flawed”—this past behavior shows that his primary defense has basically been gross negligence. A disregard for oversight. Carelessness. Incompetence.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-y...ew-evidence-in-donald-trump-organization-case
The Daily Beast utilized a public records request to acquire a complete copy of a transcript of Weisselberg’s day-long interview with government lawyers from the New York Attorney General’s office. Only snippets of the interview were previously available in publicly accessible court records, but we requested the files directly from the AG’s office by citing the state’s Freedom of Information Law and got them a week later.
The attorney general’s office is currently teaming up with the Manhattan district attorney to criminally prosecute Weisselberg and the company for allegedly dodging taxes by giving employees expensive benefits off the books. But the interview The Daily Beast acquired through a public records request dates back to a previous investigation by the AG’s office, which resulted in the dissolution of the Trump Foundation for improperly mixing politics and charitable funds.
Weisselberg’s interaction offers a preview of what the Trump executive could show at his scheduled trial for criminal tax fraud—that is, if prosecutors don’t manage to flip him against his boss.
The 227-page examination further proves what multiple sources have said for months: Weisselberg is a man devoutly loyal to Trump who sits atop the company’s operations and exerts firm control. But when pressed about questionable behavior, Weisselberg repeatedly feigns ignorance, even to the point of incompetence.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/prose...nald-trump-allen-weisselberg-matthew-calamari
However, those who know Weisselberg best—like his divorced daughter-in-law—say the real Weisselberg is a domineering figure who constantly ponders setbacks and devises contingency plans, keeping a watchful eye on every piece on the chessboard.
Contrary to Allen Weisselberg’s seeming defense, he’s not at all a bumbling accountant, said Jennifer Weisselberg, who was married to the CFO’s son for years.
“He’s a liar,” she told The Daily Beast. “Allen is controlling. He has to know where every dollar goes. He can’t handle not overseeing every dollar. And he’s not going to sign something unless he knows what it says. He knows exactly what’s going on. He doesn’t want any loose ends.”
In his sit-down with investigators back in 2017, however, Weisselberg described his role in the Trump world in the simplest of terms.
“My responsibilities are really outlined carefully. So I did what I would normally do for any one of our companies: Keep the money relatively liquid in a safe place,” he said.
As he detailed in this 2017 examination, Weisselberg is tasked with that responsibility because of the long track record he’s got with the Donald himself.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/indic...rg-removed-as-officer-of-several-subsidiaries
As he told investigators, Weisselberg got his start with the Trump family just three years after he graduated with a bachelor’s in business administration from Pace College (now formally recognized as a university). He did brief stints teaching, working at a small certified public accounting firm, and doing financial work at a stock brokerage firm before he finally landed at Fred Trump’s real estate business in Brooklyn, Trump Management Inc., in 1973.
(Continued)
Jose Pagliery
Political Investigations Reporter
Published Oct. 06, 2021 5:07AM ET
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty/Reuters
When Donald Trump’s charity was caught making an illegal political donation years ago, his longtime right-hand finance man, Allen Weisselberg, signed a letter to law enforcement that chalked it up as a mere mistake. In reality, as The Daily Beast recently revealed, employees were well aware that the money was going to a Florida politician.
When the Trump Foundation made its annual tax filings with New York state that incorrectly listed that donation—making it seem like it was going to a legitimate nonprofit—Weisselberg signed off on the document, he said, without actually reviewing it.
By scribbling his signature with a thin black pen, he affirmed that he’d “reviewed this report” to make sure it was “true, correct, and complete.” As Weisselberg would later say, the truth was he hadn’t even read it.
“I may have just glanced through it,” he told investigators during a sworn interview in October 2017.
In fact, Weisselberg claimed to not even realize he was one of only three board members of the multimillion-dollar charity for 15 years.
“I'm not a director,” he swore. “I’m just a treasurer.”
Such is the standard operating procedure of the now-indicted chief financial officer of the Trump Organization. Although his current legal strategy in his tax fraud case has yet to be revealed—with his lawyers merely describing the prosecution as “flawed”—this past behavior shows that his primary defense has basically been gross negligence. A disregard for oversight. Carelessness. Incompetence.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-y...ew-evidence-in-donald-trump-organization-case
The Daily Beast utilized a public records request to acquire a complete copy of a transcript of Weisselberg’s day-long interview with government lawyers from the New York Attorney General’s office. Only snippets of the interview were previously available in publicly accessible court records, but we requested the files directly from the AG’s office by citing the state’s Freedom of Information Law and got them a week later.
The attorney general’s office is currently teaming up with the Manhattan district attorney to criminally prosecute Weisselberg and the company for allegedly dodging taxes by giving employees expensive benefits off the books. But the interview The Daily Beast acquired through a public records request dates back to a previous investigation by the AG’s office, which resulted in the dissolution of the Trump Foundation for improperly mixing politics and charitable funds.
Weisselberg’s interaction offers a preview of what the Trump executive could show at his scheduled trial for criminal tax fraud—that is, if prosecutors don’t manage to flip him against his boss.
The 227-page examination further proves what multiple sources have said for months: Weisselberg is a man devoutly loyal to Trump who sits atop the company’s operations and exerts firm control. But when pressed about questionable behavior, Weisselberg repeatedly feigns ignorance, even to the point of incompetence.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/prose...nald-trump-allen-weisselberg-matthew-calamari
However, those who know Weisselberg best—like his divorced daughter-in-law—say the real Weisselberg is a domineering figure who constantly ponders setbacks and devises contingency plans, keeping a watchful eye on every piece on the chessboard.
Contrary to Allen Weisselberg’s seeming defense, he’s not at all a bumbling accountant, said Jennifer Weisselberg, who was married to the CFO’s son for years.
“He’s a liar,” she told The Daily Beast. “Allen is controlling. He has to know where every dollar goes. He can’t handle not overseeing every dollar. And he’s not going to sign something unless he knows what it says. He knows exactly what’s going on. He doesn’t want any loose ends.”
In his sit-down with investigators back in 2017, however, Weisselberg described his role in the Trump world in the simplest of terms.
“My responsibilities are really outlined carefully. So I did what I would normally do for any one of our companies: Keep the money relatively liquid in a safe place,” he said.
As he detailed in this 2017 examination, Weisselberg is tasked with that responsibility because of the long track record he’s got with the Donald himself.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/indic...rg-removed-as-officer-of-several-subsidiaries
As he told investigators, Weisselberg got his start with the Trump family just three years after he graduated with a bachelor’s in business administration from Pace College (now formally recognized as a university). He did brief stints teaching, working at a small certified public accounting firm, and doing financial work at a stock brokerage firm before he finally landed at Fred Trump’s real estate business in Brooklyn, Trump Management Inc., in 1973.
(Continued)
