Get ready to testify.
That’s the message Manhattan prosecutors have relayed to a witness in the criminal inquiry concerning former President Donald Trump, according to CNN. It’s the latest sign that investigators are one step closer to charging Trump after a lengthy investigation into his financial dealings and potential tax improprieties.
Yesterday, The Washington Post revealed that New York prosecutors have empaneled a special grand jury and plan to present evidence that Trump and the Trump Organization committed crimes. A special grand jury is common in complex cases. They sit for as long as six months – normal grand juries sit for one – and have subpoena power. More from CNN:
Adam S. Kaufmann, who served as chief of the office’s investigative division, said that “it really suggests they’ve reached a point in their investigation where the district attorney believes there’s evidence of a crime. You don’t empanel a special grand jury unless you think you have a viable case.”
Michael Cohen, the longtime Trump lawyer who admitted to paying hush money to a porn star on Trump’s behalf, says he’s been cooperating with a team of prosecutors drawn from the Manhattan D.A. office and the NY Attorney General’s office.
Jennifer Weisselberg, the ex-daughter-in-law of the Trump Organization’s longtime Chief Financial Officer, has also participated in multiple interviews with investigators. She said she’s handed over boxes of incriminating information.
Allen Weisselberg, the CFO, is a white whale for prosecutors. A CNN opinion piece explains why:
Having spent nearly 50 years inside the Trump organization, he has almost certainly played significant roles in businesses ranging from Miss Universe to Trump’s casinos, and he has handled Trump’s personal finances. Weisselberg was on the job during previous moments of controversy, including in 2002 when Trump Hotels ran afoul of the Security and Exchange Commission and in 2018 when the Trump Foundation was required to shut down as part of a settlement with the New York attorney general.