Allen Weisselberg may have just unofficially flipped on Donald Trump – even without a cooperation deal
Earlier today it was revealed that much-reviled Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg have reached a plea deal on the criminal charges that Bragg’s predecessor brought last year. Notably, Weisselberg will plead guilty and do prison time without a cooperation deal.
When the news first broke, we noted the timing of it all. New York Attorney General Letitia James just finished interviewing Donald Trump in her civil probe into the Trump Organization’s financial fraud, meaning her probe is complete unless she makes any unplanned last minute additions. And now that her probe is wrapping, Weisselberg is suddenly pleading out. Is that coincidence?
This evening, various legal experts have reminded us that it’s wise to listen to them when it comes to the subtler nuances of how the law works. Legal experts have explained that by pleading guilty to these crimes, Weisselberg is forfeiting his Fifth Amendment protections when it comes to these crimes. He’ll now have to testify in any investigation that subpoenas him. This isn’t some novel twist in a Law & Order episode; it’s simply how the law works. Moreover, Weisselberg’s attorneys have surely advised him that this is what he’s setting himself up for by pleading guilty.
This means that the minute Weisselberg’s guilty plea is approved by the judge, Letitia James can subpoena Weisselberg to testify in her civil probe. For that matter, we’ve been wondering if James would end up bringing the criminal charges against Donald Trump that Bragg declined to bring. Weisselberg would be legally required to testify against Trump in any such criminal case as well.
So now we wait to see what Letitia James does with this. She’s been relentless every step of the way, so it seems reasonable that she’ll use Allen Weisselberg’s guilty plea to her advantage.
Of course Weisselberg could end up refusing to testify, but that would result in obstruction charges against him, meaning more prison time, thus erasing any reason for him to cut a deal to begin with. And if Weisselberg were trying to avoid testifying in James’ probe, it makes more sense that he’d wait until after she announces her findings to cut his plea deal.
So why would Weisselberg, after having sat quietly all this time, suddenly decide to cut a plea deal that also acts as a de facto cooperation deal against Donald Trump and the Trump Organization? You’d have to ask him. Perhaps James urged Bragg to offer Weisselberg a lenient deal, so James could subpoena him. Perhaps Weisselberg learned of the DOJ’s espionage probe into Trump, realized there was no further point in remaining loyal to Trump, and cut a deal. We’ll see.
