NEWSWEEK
Donald Trump’s falsifying business trial could be severely shaken up amid reports that a key witness may have committed perjury during separate proceedings, a legal expert has said.
Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the civil trial where Trump is accused of filing fraudulent financial statements overstating the value of his properties and assets, has written to the former president’s lawyers about an apparent plea deal former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg made with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Bragg’s office is not involved in the civil fraud trial, which stems from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit seeking $370 million in penalties, but is overseeing the criminal case where Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in relation to hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The New York Times first reported that Bragg’s office was negotiating a deal with Weisselberg which would require him to plead guilty to perjury. Weisselberg, whose loyalty to Trump stretches back decades, is also named in James’ lawsuit and considered a key witness in Trump’s upcoming criminal trial in New York, which is currently scheduled to begin in March.
On Monday, Engoron wrote to Trump’s legal team to ask them if they know if Weisselberg is “admitting he lied under oath in my courtroom” during the civil trial proceedings and gave them a Wednesday evening deadline to respond.
