Prosecutors in New York have given attorneys for former President Donald Trump until Monday afternoon to provide an argument as to why the Trump Organization should not face criminal charges.
After it was reported last week that the Manhattan district attorney’s office was considering bringing criminal charges against Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and the Trump Organization as a whole, Trump’s attorneys appealed to prosecutors not to file charges against the company. Two sources told The Washington Post that the attorneys now have until Monday to make the case as to why charges should not be filed.
According to The Hill, the Manhattan D.A.’s investigation has to do with the company’s financial dealings and “whether it inflated the value of some assets to deceive lenders and insurers.” Additionally, the charges that would be brought against Weisselberg are over tax issues, The Hill adds.
The investigation was originally a civil investigation, but the New York attorney general’s office announced last month that it had been expanded to a criminal investigation as well. A spokesperson for the N.Y. A.G.’s office said at the time that “[W]e have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature. We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA. We have no additional comment at this time.”
The Hill further notes that Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance Jr. and N.Y. Attnorney General Letitia James, both Democrats, are working together on the investigation.
