Lawyers representing former President Trump and the New York attorney general’s office told a New York state judge on Wednesday to ignore reports that a witness committed perjury during testimony as the judge considers the ruling in the case. asked to do so.
new york times reported last week Former Trump Organization chief financial officer and defendant in the case, Allen Weisselberg, is negotiating with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to plead guilty to perjury for testifying in Trump’s civil fraud trial, it has been revealed. .
Days later, Judge Arthur Engoron asked Trump’s legal team and the attorney general’s office to report on Trump’s status.
“As the presiding judge, as the trier of fact, and as the judge of credibility, I am of course concerned with whether Mr. Weisselberg has changed his mind and whether he has lied under oath in my courtroom in this case.” I would like to know if he admits to hitting me,” Engoron wrote in an email to his attorney Monday, according to court records.
The public judge also warned that Weisselberg’s entire testimony could be considered false and asked the parties to consider how to address the issue.
State’s Attorney Kevin Wallace said Wednesday that the attorney general’s office was not involved in any negotiations about whether Weisselberg admitted to false testimony, but that other attorneys within the attorney general’s office He pointed out that he had been “cross-appointed” to the district attorney’s office in the matter. , “Including those involving Mr. Weisselberg.”
Mr. Wallace also said that Mr. Weisselberg’s perjury should not affect the schedule for Mr. Engoron’s verdict in the case.
“Negotiations over a possible plea deal could continue indefinitely. [the New York attorney general’s office] If no agreement is reached, the trial on the possible perjury charges will likely take longer,” Wallace wrote in a letter to the court. “And delaying the final determination of this case to await the outcome of the plea agreement would have the perverse effect of rewarding the defendant if Mr. Weisselberg is indeed guilty of perjury.”
Clifford Robert, an attorney for Mr. Trump’s sons, questioned the veracity of the Times report and took issue with the judge’s suggestion that it could influence Mr. Trump’s verdict. I raised it.
“We respectfully submit that the court’s request for comment on this speculative media account is unprecedented, inappropriate, and alarming,” Robert wrote.
He also did not question the testimony of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, saying the judge should not consider Weisselberg’s testimony to be false. On the stand, Cohen admitted to lying before another judge and recanted his key testimony during cross-examination.
“It is inconceivable that the court would not apply Uno’s falsehoods to Mr. Cohen’s testimony while pondering its applicability based on speculative news articles,” Robert wrote.
Alina Haba, who represents Weisselberg and several Trump-related groups, also said she had not spoken with the district attorney’s office about “the matters discussed in the New York Times article,” adding, “Professional ethics… He declined to comment further citing “obligations”. She asked the judge to ignore the Times report in his verdict.
In a statement to The Hill, President Trump’s attorney Chris Kiss accused the attorney general’s office of “actively coordinating” with district attorneys to strengthen the case.
“The court’s decision should be made based on the evidence at trial, not on media speculation,” Kise said. “But realizing there was no actual evidence to support their relentless and unwarranted pursuit of President Trump, Alvin Bragg and Letitia James conspired to create a media frenzy and use it as support for their own claims. used.”
In 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) accused Trump, the Trump Organization, and others of falsely altering Trump’s net worth in key financial statements to collect tax and insurance benefits. The lawsuit was filed against multiple executives, including Trump’s adult son.
The trial ended last month after more than two months of testimony from about 40 witnesses. Before the trial began, Mr. Engoron found Mr. Trump and his businesses responsible for the fraud.
Mr. James’s office asked Engoron to force Mr. Trump to pay a $370 million fine and permanently ban him from the New York real estate business.
The judge can make a decision at any time.
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