and in the west from the Walter
Cronkite school of journalism
from the university of Arizona.
Judy: As we reported, former
trump organization's cfo pleaded
guilty today to tax fraud and as
part of the plea deal he is
expected to testify against the
company later this year.
To discuss what this means for
the former president I am joined
by Andrea Bernstein who covers
Donald Trump's legal issues for
NPR.
Welcome back to the "Newshour."
We know the former president
himself is not charged but how
unusual is it for the company of
a former president to be
involved in criminal charges
like this?
Reporter: I think this is the
only time it is ever happened.
There has never been a
post-presidency like trump's.
What was so extraordinary about
the plea deal was here you had a
man who was sort of the closest
thing you could come to a
physical embodiment of Donald
Trump's business saying, yes,
your honor, I committed these
crimes 15 times.
Judy: And what exactly, remind
us of what exactly did he plead
ill d2?
Reporter: Just over a year ago,
the Manhattan district attorney
charged him with 15 felonies.
The scheme which lasted over 15
years was for him to lie about
his income and say it was lower
than it was by taking his income
in things like a luxury
apartment, Mercedes-Benzs for he
and his wife and private school
tuition for his children
avoiding taxes on millions of
dollars.
What he pleaded guilty to was
everything from scheme to a
fraud.
A scheme he admitted lasted
today until -- from 2005 until
2021 during the entire time when
his boss was president and of
course Donald Trump never do
vested from his business --
divested from his business.
Judy: Former president trump is
not named here but this total
place over 16 years.
Is it conceivable the former
president did not know what was
going on?
Reporter: Well, the district
attorney, the Manhattan district
attorney was preparing and
indictmen against -- an
indictment against Mr. Trump
himself.
Everybody I know that has ever
worked for trump and we saw this
in the January 6 hearings,
everyone that works for him
makes it clear he has a very
sharp eye on what is going on
around him.
That said, he was not charged
and his company has pleaded not
guilty and there has been no
evidence introduced of his
personal knowledge except that
we did here today in one of the
counts that Donald Trump paid
some of the benefits come of the
private school tuition from his
own personal account and kept a
record of some of these payments
as to whether he knew it was
illegal is a question that
remains unanswered at this
point.
Judy: He signed his name to some
of the checks but it is not
clear that he knew what was
going on.
Is that it?
Reporter: That is right.
And let us not lose the
significance that his business,
the business named trump is
charged with a crime which has
never happened in the history of
the United States.
Under New York law, when a top
executive says -- I committed a
crime, it is a short road from
they are to convicting the
company.
The company has not pleaded
guilty and the company is slated
to go to trial in October but
now with the guaranteed
testimony of the cfo who will
say, idea fraud of the taxpayers
of the money they deserved to
get, so I could benefit, there
is no clear way prosecutors that
the company can get out of that.
Judy: Can you give us a sense,
do we know the questions he will
be asked those of fall at the
trial?
Reporter: There is no indication
he will say -- Donald Trump knew
any of these things that I did.
But what he has promised to do
under penalty of getting a more
severe sentence is to answer
questions truthfully.
This will be a sentence for --
this will be a chance for the
public and the jury to see how
the scheme worked, which other
executives were involved.
This is a very embarrassing
detailed look at a president
that was so secretive he went to
the U.S. Marine Corps twice to
keep his presence -- U.S.
Supreme court twice to keep as
records private.
This could be very embarrassing
particularly since Mr. Trump is
considering another run for
president.
Judy: While all of this is going
on in New York, in Florida,
having to do with the FBI search
of the former president's estate
at mar-a-lago, a judge ruled
that the justice department
needs to redact any language it
does not want made public in the
affidavit that was used seeking
the search warrant.
How does that play into any
other legal worries the former
has?
Reporter: It does seem like it
is a big worry.
You have U.S. Justice department
investigating you.
This has many steps to go
through.
The judge has asked the justice
department to come back.
It can be appealed.
We see a pattern.
The president hiding things.
The president not revealing
things.
And a president being
investigated from everything --
and a president being
investigated for his company to
whether he mishandled classified
documents.
That is quite a roster for a
former president.
Judy: Andrea Bernstein, thank
you very much.