FOCUS OF THE BROOKLYN
INVESTIGATION ACCORDING TO THE
TIMES.
WELL FOLLOW THIS AS IT
DEVELOPS.
BUT THIS COMES AS NEW REPORTING
FROM MOTHER JONES MAGAZINE SHOWS
THAT DONALD TRUMPS LONG TIME
MONEY MAN AND CFO, ALLEN
WEISSELBERG ALREADY IN THE CROSS
HAIRS OF THE CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION ALSO APPEARS TO BE
TIED TO A SEPARATE CIVIL
INVESTIGATION IN D.C.
THE MAGAZINE REPORTS THAT
PREVIOUSLY UNNOTICED EMAILS
ATTACHED TO A COURT FILING LAST
YEAR SHOW THAT WEISSELBERG IS
INVOLVED IN THE TRUMP
INAUGURATION CASE CURRENTLY
BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE
WASHINGTON, D.C. ATTORNEY
GENERAL.
THE CRUX OF THAT INVESTIGATION
IS WHETHER TRUMPS PRESIDENTIAL
INAUGURAL COMMITTEE AND THE
TRUMP ORGANIZATION COORDINATED
TO USE INAUGURATION FUNDS TO
ENRICH THE TRUMP FAMILY BY
GROSSLY OVERPAYING FOR EVENT
SPACE AT ITS D.C. HOTEL.
EMAILS SHOW WEISSELBERG WAS
CALLED IN TO OVERSEE THE AUDIT
AFTER THE CALL FOR HUGE ALWAYS
OF MONEY RAISED AND WHERE IT
COULD HAVE BEEN SPENT.
ASKED WHY WEISSELBERG WOULD BE
INVOLVED IN THE INAUGURAL
COMMITTEES INTERNAL AUDIT,
GIVEN THAT HE WAS THE CFO OF THE
COMPANY ALLEGEDLY BENEFITTING
FROM THE GRIFT, RICK GATES,
YOULL REMEMBER HIM.
THAT HE WAS GREAT NUMBER.
OF COURSE, HIS FLUENCY WITH
TRUMPS FINANCES IS PART OF WHY
THERES A CLOUD OF NERVES
HOVERING, SINCE NEWS BROKE THAT
A SPECIAL GRAND JURY IS CONVENED
IN THE MANHATTAN INVESTIGATION.
SAID ONE TRUMP ADVISER, THE FACT
THAT THEYRE DEALING WITH THE
NUMBERS GUY WHO HAS PLAIN
DETAILS MAKES PEOPLE MORE
NERVOUS.
AS FAR AS WE GO, WEISSELBERGS
PART IN THE INVESTIGATION IS NOT
A LINE OF INQUIRY CURRENTLY
BEING PURSUED BY INVESTIGATORS
IN THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT
ATTORNEYS OFFICE.
BUT HE CERTAINLY APPEARS TO BE
FEELING THE SQUEEZE AS THE MAIN
FOCUS OF PROSECUTORS INQUIRIES.
TODAY, WEISSELBERGS
EXDAUGHTER-IN-LAW WHO HAS
SUPPLIED THE.
DID.
AS OFFICE WITH BOXES OF
DOCUMENTS TOLD ANOTHER NETWORK
THAT WEISSELBERG HAS SERVED HER
AN EVICTION NOTICE AFTER SHE HAS
CONTINUED TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT
WHAT SHE KNOWS.
>> HAS THERE BEEN ANY BACK LASH
OR RETRIBUTION?
>> YES, YES.
ALLEN WEISSELBERG IS ON MY
LEASE.
YESTERDAY I WAS SERVED TO LEAVE
MY APARTMENT WITHIN THE NEXT
SEVEN DAYS.
SO THATS A THREAT.
A THREAT.
THERES DEFINITELY TAX FRAUD.
DEFINITELY TAX EVASION.
I THINK THAT THERE IS A LOT OF,
FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEY SEEM
REALLY NERVOUS.
>> THAT NEWS TODAY COMES AS
FORMER PROSECUTORS AND LEGAL
EXPERTS TELL POLITICO THAT
MANHATTAN D.A. CY VANCE COULD BE
CONSIDERING A CRIMINAL CHARGE
THAT SAYS THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION
IS A CORRUPT ENTERPRISE UNDER A
NEW YORK LAW RESEMBLING THE
FEDERAL RACKETEERING STATUTE
KNOWN AS RICO.
THAT NEW YORK LAW CALLED THE
ENTERPRISE CORRUPTION STATUTE
AND SOMETIMES CALLED LITTLE RICO
CAN BE INSWROEKD AS LITTLE AS
THREE CRIMES INVOLVED AND CAN
CARRY A PRISON TERM OF UP TO 25
YEARS, ALONG WITH A MANDATORY
MINIMUM OF ONE TO THREE YEARS.
ABC NEWS AND CNN HAVE ALREADY
REPORTED THAT SEVERAL WITNESSES
HAVE
HAVE ALREADY BEEN GAKTD
APPEARING IN FRONT OF THE
SPECIAL GRAND JURY WITH AT LEAST
ONE TOLD TO BE PREPARED TO
TESTIFY.
ONE OF THE PEOPLE QUOTED IN THE
WASHINGTON POSTALS TUESDAY
NIGHT SCHOOL ABOUT THE EXISTENCE
OF THAT SPECIAL GRAND JURY WAS
REBECCA, A FORMER DISTRICT
ATTORNEY IN MANHATTAN, WHO SAID
PROSECUTORS IN HER FORMER OFFICE
WERE UNLIKELY TO TAKE THIS KEY
STEP WITHOUT EVIDENCE, AND
PROBABLE CAUSE TO BELIEVE THAT
SOMEONE COMMITTED A CRIME.
JOINING ME NOW, REBECCA, A
PROFESSOR AT NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL
WHO PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS AN
STAND DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN THE
MANHATTAN OFFICE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
WE HAVE A LOT TO SORT OF PICK
APART HERE.
FIRST OF ALL, TELL ME, WITH THE
IDEA OF THE SPECIAL GRAND JURY,
PEOPLE BEING INVITED TO TALK TO
THEM.
AND ONE REPORTEDLY BEING ASKED
TO BE PREPARED TO TESTIFY.
THAT MEANS TESTIFY BEYOND AND
OUTSIDE OF THE GRAND JURYS
DELIBERATIONS.
>> RIGHT, EXACTLY.
THIS JUST SHOWS THAT THE
INVESTIGATION HAS PROCEEDED
BEYOND THIS EARLY PHASE WHEN
THEY WERE GATHERING INFORMATION
AND SENDING OUT SUBPOENAS.
THERE WAS OBVIOUSLY A GRAND JURY
THEN.
NOW IT IS CONVENED TO HEAR
ACTUAL EVIDENCE FROM WITNESSES,
AND YOU KNOW, IN NEW YORK, THE
GRAND JURY REALLY ISNT USED IN
QUITE THE SAME WAY AS IN FEDERAL
PRACTICE.
SO THIS STAGE REALLY INDICATES
THAT THEYVE MOVED ON AND ARE
HOPEFULLY THINKING ABOUT
CHARGING SOMEBODY AT THE END OF
IT.
WHICH MEANS THEY ARE COULDNT
VINCED THEY HAVE A CRIMINAL
CASE.
>> WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF WHERE
THAT CRIMINAL CASE COULD BE
GOING?
WERE SEEING EVIDENCE ABOUT
WEISSELBERG, WERE SEEING, WE
ASSUME THAT HE HAS BEEN INVITED
TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCESS,
WHATEVER THAT MEANS.
WHO IS THE TARGET?
AND HOW DO YOU THINK, OR HOW
DOES YOUR EXPERIENCE SUGGEST TO
YOU THAT THEYRE WORKING TOWARD
A FINAL GOAL HERE?
>> RIGHT.
ITS A DANGEROUS BUSINESS TO TRY
TO READ TEA LEAVES INTO THIS
KIND OF THING BECAUSE GRAND JURY
PRACTICE IS SO COMPLICATED AND
ALSO, ALL SECRET.
SO I DONT REALLY KNOW.
YOURE RIGHT.
THAT THE PUBLIC REPORTING MAKES
IT LOOK AS IF WEISSELBERG IS AT
THE CENTER OF ALL OF THIS AND IT
SEEMS STATEMENTS THAT MICHAEL
COHEN HAS SAID, HIS FORMER
FIXER, THIS IS THE PERSON WHO
KNOWS EVERYTHING.
HE KNOWS WHERE ALL THE BODIES
ARE BURIED.
SO ONE POSSIBLE STRATEGY THEY
COULD HAVE WOULD BE TO CHARGE
HIM AND CHARGE HIM WITH A LOT.
PUTTING A LOT OF PRESSURE ON HIM