>>> I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE
BRONX, YOU KNOW THAT.
I TEND TO BRING IT UP A LOT AND
I GREW UP KNOWING ALL ABOUT BIG
NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC FIGURES AND
I READ THE PAPERS AND TABLOIDS
EVERY DAY.
I REMEMBER WHEN THEY FINALLY GOT
THE MOB BOSS CONVICTED FOR A
WHOLE BUNCH OF CRIMES.
THE THING IS HE WAS BASICALLY A
PUBLIC CRIMINAL FOR 20 YEARS
BEFORE THEY GOT HIM.
EVERYONE KNEW WHAT HE WAS UP TO.
HE WAS CALLED THE TEFLON DON
BECAUSE CHARGES NEVER SEEMED
STOOSTICK TO HIM.
AND IN THE END HE WAS CONVICTED
BECAUSE PROSECUTORS GOT HIS
LIEUTENANT TO FLIP AND TESTIFY
ABOUT THE MANY MURDERS THEY
COMMITTED TOGETHER.
>> GOOD EVENING.
THIS TIME THE WISE GUY SMIRK
DISAPPEARED.
JOHN GAUDY, THE MODERN
GODFATHER, THE SO-CALLED TEFLON
DON, HE ALWAYS ESCAPED THE BIG
CONVICTIONS IN THE PAST BUT NOT
TODAY.
GUILTY OF MURDER AND
RACKETEERING, 12 COUNTS AND NOW
FACING A LONG TIME IN JAIL.
>> FROM HIS OWN MOUTH OVER FBI
BUZZ.
>> NOW, THERES A REASON IT TOOK
FOREVER TO NAIL GAUDY.
HE WAS CAREFUL AND THEY SETUP
ALL KINDS OF WAYS TO SHIELD HIM,
RIGHT, FROM CRIMINAL LIABILITY.
AND YOU NEED SOLID EVIDENCE OR
GOOD WITNESSES OR BOTH TO
CONVICT IN THAT KIND OF CASE,
COMPLEX, HIGH PROFILE CASE.
ALL THAT IS SOMETHING TO
REMEMBER WHEN YOU READ REPORTS
THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY
HAS CONVENED A JURY TO WEIGH
EVIDENCE OR THAT THE NEW YORK
ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE WHICH
IS COOPERATING WITH THE
MANHATTAN D.A. IS CRIMINALLY
INVESTIGATING TRUMPS RIGHT-HAND
MAN AND CFO ALLEN WEISSELBERG
AND THOSE TWO OFFICES ARE
SEEKING TO TURN WEISSELBERG INTO
A COOPERATING WITNESS WITH MR.
TRUMP AND THE TRUMP
ORGANIZATION.
ALLEN WEISSELBERG CERTAINLY
KNOWS TRUMPS BUSINESS AS WELL
AS ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD.
HE WAS FIRST HIRED AS AN ACCOUNT
WANT BY TRUMPS FATHER FRED MORE
THAN 40 YEARS AGO AND HAS BEEN
THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER OF
THE TRUMP BOARD OVER 20 YEARS.
AND NOW PROSECUTORS MAY HAVE
ANOTHER KEY PIECE OF LEVERAGE,
E-MAILS.
TIED WEISSELBERG TO THE TRUMP
INAUGURATION COMMITTEE, A
COMMITTEE CURRENTLY BEING
INVESTIGATED BY THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL OF WASHINGTON, D.C. FOR
ESSENTIALLY GRIFTING FUNDS TO
BENEFIT THE TRUMP FAMILY.
AND DAVID CORNYN, WASHINGTON
BUREAU CHIEF OF MOTHER JONES
JOINS ME NOW.
TELL US WHAT THESE E-MAILS ARE
AND WHAT THEY INDICATE?
>> FIRST, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER
THERES A SCALE THAT HASNT
GOTTEN A LOT OF ATTENTION.
THATS ABOUT THE TRUMP
INAUGURATION COMMITTEE.
THE PICK IS WHAT PEOPLE REFER TO
IT AS.
AND ITS A CIVIL INVESTIGATION,
NOT A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION BY
THE D.C. ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR
BASICALLY TAKING WHAT WAS
CHARITABLE MONEY TO NON-PROFIT
AND USING IT TO ENRICH GUESS
WHAT THE TRUMP FAMILY.
BY OVERPAYING PAYMENTS OF THE
TRUMP HOTEL FOR EVENTS THAT WERE
HELD AND EVENTS THAT WERENT
HELD AT THE TRUMP HOTEL AND FOR
HOLDING A LAVISH PARTY FOR THE
TRUMP FAMILY COSTING HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
BASICALLY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
OF D.C. HAS ACCUSED THE FAMILY
OF USING THE INAUGURATION TO
LINE THEIR POCKETS OF HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
THIS IS CORRUPTION FROM NOT EVEN
OF THE FIRST DAY OF THE
PRESIDENCY BUT STARTING THE WEEK
BEFORE.
SO IN THAT INVESTIGATION IT
TURNS OUT THERE WAS A COURT
FILING NO ONE REALLY PAID
ATTENTION TO THAT CAME OUT A
YEAR AGO THAT HAD E-MAILS IN IT
THAT SHOWED THAT APRIL OF
2018 -- YOU KNOW, 2017, EXCUSE
ME, WHEN THERE WERE QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE TRUMP FINANCES, THE
TRUMP INAUGURATION FINANCES.
WHAT DID THEY DO?
THEY SAID ALLEN WEISSELBERG
SHOULD BE IN CHARGE OF
OVERSEEING THE INTERNAL AUDIT.
SO THIS IS REALLY WEIRD, RIGHT,
BECAUSE ITS A NON-PROFIT THAT
PAID A LOT OF MONEY TO THE TRUMP
ORGANIZATION PROBABLY AND
PROPERLY, THATS WHAT WE KNOW
NOW AND WENT TO THE GUY WHO RUNS
THE NUMBERS IN THE TRUMP
ORGANIZATION AND SAID YOU
OVERSEE THE AUDIT, YOU LOOK AT
WHATS GOING ON HERE.
THERES NO GOOD EXPLANATION FOR
THIS.
AND SO NO ONE PICKED UP ON THIS
UNTIL I FOUND THESE E-MAILS THIS
WEEK.
>> SO WE SHOULD ALSO JUST SET
THE CONTEXT HERE WHICH WAS
ALWAYS THE CASE THIS
INAUGURATION THEY RAISED AND
SPENT TWO OR THREE TIMES WHAT
THE OBAMA INAUGURATION WAS FOR
WHAT WAS MANIFESTLY A SMALLER
AFFAIR.
AND ITS ALWAYS BEEN A BIT OF A
HEAD SKACHCRATCHING THING LIKE W
DID ALL THE MONEY GO?
>> $107 MILLION THEY RAISED.
YOURE RIGHT, ITS TWICE THE $53
MILLION OBAMA RAISED.
ITS UNCLEAR WHERE THE MONEY
WENT AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF
TROUBLE AFTERWARDS PUTTING
TOGETHER THEIR FINANCIALS AND
THE REPORTS, AND THERE WAS A LOT
OF BACK AND FORTH.
STEPHANIE WRITES ABOUT THIS IN
HER BOOK "MELANIA AND ME."
AND SO WE HAVE ALLEN WEISSELBERG
IN CHARGE OF THE COMPANY GETTING
SOME OF THE QUESTIONABLE
PAYMENTS NOW OVERSEEING THE
AUDIT.
AND TO TOP THIS OFF A COUPLE
WEEKS AGO TRYING TO EXTEND THE
DISCOVERY IN THE D.C. CASE IN
ORDER TO TAKE HIS DEPOSITION.
SO THEYRE FINALLY ONTO HIM DOWN
IN D.C., AND THEY WANT TO BRING
HIM IN FOR QUESTIONING.
>> WAIT, SO THEY WANT TO BRING
WEISSELBERG TO DEPOSE IN THIS
CASE?
>> IN THIS CASE.
THEY WENT TO THE JUDGE AND SAID
WE NEED MORE TIME FOR DISCOVERY
BECAUSE WE WANT TO BRING HIM IN.
SO, AGAIN, ITS A CIVIL CASE NOT
A CRIMINAL CASE.
BUT IT SHOWS YET AGAIN HES IN
THE MIDDLE OF WHAT SEEMS TO
BE -- AT LEAST ITS AN ALLEGED
EXAMPLE OF TRUMP GRIFT.
>> IT SORT OF POINTS TO THE FACT
YOUVE GOT THE SITUATION TO
WHICH THE ALLEGATION IS THAT THE
COMMITTEE IS ESSENTIALLY
SKIMMING OFF THE TOP FOR TRUMP
ORG ACCOUNTANT WHO WOULD BE ON
THE RECEIVING END OF THOSE
PAYMENTS AND BUT ANOTHER EXAMPLE
HES IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF
THIS.
HE IS THE GUY.
THEYVE BEEN SAYING IT FOREVER.
WE KNOW CY VANCE AND LETITIA
JAMES OFFICES HAVE THEIR EYES
ON HIM.
WE KNOW THEYVE INVESTIGATED HIS
KIDS ACCORDING TO THEIR
REPORTING.
DO YOU SEE HIM AS THE ESSENTIAL
FIGURE BASED ON THE REPORTING
HERE?
>> OTHER THAN SOME IN THE
IMMEDIATE FAMILY, YES.
RIGHT BECAUSE WHAT IS TRUMP
BEING INVESTIGATED FOR?
VARIOUS TYPES OF TAX FRAUD
THROUGH THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION,
VARIOUS TYPES OF BUSINESS FRAUD.
ITS A CLOSELY HELD COMPANY.
ITS RUN WITH JUST A FEW PEOPLE.
THERES NO MIDDLE MANAGEMENT,
VERY LITTLE FROM THE TRUMP
ORGANIZATION.
SO ITS DONALD TRUMP SENIOR, HIS
THREE KIDS, JUNIOR, ERIC AND
IVANKA AND ALLEN WEISSELBERG AND
A FEW OTHERS.
SO HE KNOWS WHERE EVERYTHING IS.
HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE TRUMP
FOUNDATION.
REMEMBER THAT WAS SHUTDOWN TOO,
FOR RAMPANT GROSS ILLEGALITY,
THERES NOTHING THAT GOES DOWN
IN THE TRUMP WORLD THAT HES NOT
INVOLVED IN.
SO HE IS THE ROSETTA STONE.
>> I SHOULD SAY THREE OF HIS