9 #witnesses in the #criminal cases against #Trump have received significant financial benefits, including large raises from his campaign, severance packages, new jobs, & a grant of shares & cash from Trump’s media co.
The benefits have flowed from #Trump’s businesses & campaign cmtes, acc/to a @ProPublica analysis of public disclosures, #court records & #securities filings.One campaign aide had his avg monthly pay double, from $26k to $53.5k. Another employee got a $2M severance package barring him from voluntarily cooperating w/ #law enforcement. And one of the campaign’s top ofcls had her daughter hired onto campaign staff, where she is now the 4th-highest-paid employee. #WitnessTampering#law
These pay increases & other benefits often came at delicate moments in the #legal proceedings against #Trump. One aide who was given a plum position on the board of Trump’s social media company, for example, got the seat after he was subpoenaed but before he testified. 👀
Significant changes to a staffer’s work situation, such as bonuses, pay raises, firings or promotions, can be #evidence of a #crime if they come outside the normal course of business.
White-collar defense #lawyers say the situation #Trump finds himself in—…defendant & boss of many of the …primary #witnesses to his alleged #crimes —is not uncommon. Their standard advice is not to provide any unusual benefits or penalties to such employees. Ideally, decisions about employees slated to give #evidence should be made by an independent body….
…#Trump’s attorney, David Warrington, sent #ProPublica a cease-&-desist letter demanding this article not be published. The letter warned that if the outlet & its reporters “continue their reckless campaign of defamation, President Trump will evaluate all legal remedies.”
Attempts to exert undue #influence on #witnesses have been a repeated theme of #Trump investigations & #criminal cases over the yrs.
Trump’s fmr campaign mgr & fmr campaign adviser were #convicted on #WitnessTampering charges in 2018 & 19. The adviser told a witness to “do a ‘Frank Pentangeli’”–a character in “The Godfather Part II” who lies to a Senate cmte investigating #OrganizedCrime. Trump later #pardoned both men….(He didn’t pardon a co-defendant of the campaign manager who had cooperated)
#RhonaGraff says she worked at the #TrumpOrganization for 34yrs. Her understanding was that #Trump owned the company & she worked directly for him.
#Graff says her lawyers are being paid by the #TrumpOrg. This is a running theme w/many witnesses close to Trump - he or his PAC have continued to pay their #legal fees.(#WitnessTampering, #MobTactics)
#MichaelCohen flipped on Trump, partly because the Trump Org stopped paying his legal fees.
BLANCHE: …I would ask that the People provide us w/the names of their first 3 witnesses so that we can prepare...
STEINGLASS: Look, I got to be honest: That's a courtesy that we normally extend. [but] Mr. #Trump has been tweeting about the witnesses. We're not telling who the witnesses are.
When Merchant was writing the motion to disqualify the prosecutors, she assured Bradley that “I protected you completely. I kept you out of it.”
Merchant also told Bradley that she was becoming president of the #Georgia Assn of #Criminal Defense Lawyers & wanted him to become more involved in the group, incl’g by becoming a prgm director for an upcoming seminar.