We now know the name of at least one witness in the federal probe of President Donald Trump‘s former lawyer Michael Cohen.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Allen Weisselberg has been subpoenaed. Weisselberg happens to the be the CFO of the Trump Organization.
Rebecca Ballhaus, one of the bylines on this story, pointed out that Weisselberg’s testimony could be “significant.”
Weisselberg testimony in Cohen probe could be significant on many fronts. He's the longtime gatekeeper of Trump family $ + took over control of Trump's assets last yr w/the sons. He was also Trump Found’n treasurer—though he has said he didn’t know that. https://t.co/UNb9r0VdK2
— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) July 26, 2018
“Weisselberg arranged for the Trump Organization to pay Cohen in monthly installments after he made the $130K payment to Stormy Daniels,” she tweeted. “Weisselberg didn’t know about the Stormy payment when he agreed to the retainer, source familiar with his thinking says.”
Weisselberg has not only seen, he’s also prepared President Trump’s tax returns, reports say.
"F or years, at least through the financial crisis, Mr. Weisselberg prepared Mr. Trump’s tax returns, according to one former Trump Organization employee." https://t.co/a9Tj5Pwg4y
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 26, 2018
This news is connected to the release of that Cohen-Trump audio tape. Although some things that were said in that recording have been disputed and argued about online, the naming of Allen Weisselberg has not been one of those.
“I’ve spoken to Allen Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up,” Cohen said. Cohen and Trump were discussing a payment to make model Karen McDougal’s Trump affair story go away.
This Weisselberg is the same one the Wall Street Journal referred to as “Donald Trump’s Loyal Numbers Man” two years ago. He is 70 years old and has reportedly been working for the Trump Organization since the ’80s.
“He plays an integral part in the Trump Organization’s growth and continued financial success,” Ivanka Trump was quoted in the “Loyal Numbers Man” story. “He is deeply passionate, fiercely loyal and has stood alongside my father and our family for over [three] decades.”
In fact, Weisselberg is so central to Trump Organization activity that when Trump was president-elect, he left control of a trust with his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, but also with Weisselberg.
[Image via Yana Paskova and Getty Images]