Bloomberg Opinion’s senior columnist Tim O’Brien has seen former President Donald Trump’s tax returns during a lawsuit. He told MSNBC that it is possible that some of Trump’s staff including his accountant Allen Weisselberg could possibly turn on him if they face criminal charges brought on by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
Cyrus Vance Jr., the District Attorney of Manhattan has been conducting investigations on Donald Trump to ascertain whether he committed tax fraud by increasing property values for getting loans and decreasing the same property’s values when paying taxes.
It is also alleged those investigations about hush-money being paid to two women: Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal over claims of them having affairs with Trump are also still ongoing and have not been closed.
On Thursday, Vance’s office revealed that they have received millions of papers that are related to Trump’s tax returns and financial records. Earlier the Supreme Court had declined to set aside a lower court ruling that allowed his tax returns to be perused by the DA’s office.
Vance’s office has maintained silence on most of its investigations. However, it has recently added Mark Pomerantz, a former highly experienced prosecutor, as a special assistant district attorney. He has already interviewed Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, as per a report from Reuters. The news agency has also said that about 12 new subpoenas have also been issued to help in the investigations.
O’Brien felt that some of the staff in the Trump may turn against him if they find themselves facing criminal charges. He felt that the probe by Robert Mueller missed a lot but still thinks Vance’s investigations may unearth a few links or notes or emails that could be useful.
The senior columnist also mentioned that the family including Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump could come under the radar for payments made especially to Ivanka. He felt that Trump was aware of all that was happening and that is why he fought so hard to keep his tax records a secret. If Trump is indicted he could not stand for presidency.
Tim O’Brien also said that the felt that the investigations by both the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and New York state Attorney General Letitia James’ civil probe has left Trump and family feeling “very afraid.”
