The Trump Organization and its CFO Allen Weisselberg have been charged by the Manhattan district
attorney with tax evasion. This raises the very interesting question of who from within
Donald Trump's inner circle might flip on him — especially since numerous news organizations
are reporting that additional charges against the Trump Organization could be coming.
The indictment against Weisselberg and the Trump Organization alleges that there was
a 15-year-long criminal scheme of paying employees under the table to evade federal, state, and
New York City taxes. Weisselberg reportedly received more than $1.7 million in compensation
recorded in a second, illegal set of corporate books. It is believed that Weisselberg essentially
received free rent, cars, and tuition for family members, The Daily Beast reported.
The indictment alleges that systemic fraud is deeply entrenched in the culture of the
Trump Organization.
Since Weisselberg was allegedly paid under the table, he's said to have avoided paying
$550,000 in federal taxes, $106,000 in state taxes, and $240,000 in New York City taxes.
Weisselberg has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include grand larceny for essentially
stealing tax dollars from federal, state, and city governments, according to MSNBC.
Donald Trump's niece, Mary Trump, has been very outspoken about her uncle and his business
dealings. Now, she has a theory as to who may flip on her uncle and why.
Many people think Weisselberg will be the person to flip on former president Donald
Trump. The Daily Beast calls the case against Weisselberg a "slam dunk," so he could offer
testimony to bargain for a lighter sentence or immunity from some of the charges against
him.
But Mary Trump doesn't think Weisselberg will be the person to flip on his former boss,
or at least not the first. Mary believes Donald's daughter, Ivanka Trump, will be the first
person to open up to prosecutors. Ivanka had a similar role at the Trump Organization as
Weisselberg; she was an officer of the Trump Organization and a consultant as well. This
arrangement was designed to specifically allow Weisselberg and Ivanka to avoid paying taxes,
according to The Daily Beast.
Mary said on the podcast "The New Abnormal,"
"She's much less likely to stay loyal than Allen Weisselberg. Ivanka has one, more to
lose, and two, more to hang on to."
Mary also pointed out that the nature of Donald's relationship with his kids is both transactional
and conditional, saying,
"Somebody's always gotta be getting something. And the only exception might be [Donald Trump
Jr.] because he's so damaged in a way that the other two aren't."
Former President Donald Trump has hardly stopped complaining since he left the White House,
and CNN reports those complaints appear to be driving away Ivanka and her husband, Jared
Kushner, two of Donald's closest confidants during his presidency.
Family friends have noted that Ivanka, Jared, and their kids have not been to Donald's Florida
home in recent months. One told CNN,
"They weren't around for the usual spring and summer events at Mar-a-Lago."
Instead, Ivanka and Jared preferred to stay at their rented cottage on a golf course in
New Jersey. Former Trump White House officials, family friends, and members of the former
president's team have noted the shift in behavior.
Donald Trump has reportedly been focused on the role that Kushner played in his presidency,
and has also expressed jealousy over Kushner's seven-figure book deal, especially in light
of the fact that he has not yet secured his own book deal.
In an opinion piece for the New York Daily News, Barbara Res, who worked for Trump from
1980 to 1990, said that even back in the 1980s, Trump did everything he could to avoid paying
taxes. She wrote,
"As ... speculation swirls about whether the Weisselberg indictment will lead to an indictment
of Trump ... remember: When his business acumen was challenged, Trump openly bragged about
how brilliant he was in manipulating the tax code and the bankruptcy laws. He claimed to
know everything about taxes and how to avoid them."
"He didn't pay any federal income tax."
"That makes me smart."
Res believes that Weisselberg will eventually flip on his boss to save his own hide. But
Donald may have some tricks up his sleeve to prevent that. She wrote,
"What does Trump have? Money, and years of built-up loyalty... He can draw on their history,
and he can tell Weisselberg he can ease his way in prison because of his connections,
and promise him tons of money for him and the family, to take the fall. [...] Trump
maybe has things on Weisselberg that we haven't heard. Maybe he has something on the kids.
We know that Trump will stop at nothing to protect himself, and it has been proven that
he will cause as much pain as possible to anyone who crosses him."
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