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Donald Trump's former chief financial officer could provide vital evidence in Trump's upcoming Stormy Daniels trial, a senior attorney has said.
Bryan M. Sullivan, Hunter Biden's attorney and a founding partner at Los Angeles-based Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae, told Newsweek that Allen Weisselberg could be the perfect person to "join the dots" in the criminal case against Trump for alleged hush money payments to adult movie star, Daniels.
The New York Times reported on February 1 that Weisselberg is willing to cooperate with authorities and admit that he lied in Trump's recent New York fraud trial.
"Cooperation likely will be part of the plea but since the fraud trial has concluded, it would have to be in connection with some other case–most likely cooperation in the criminal case relating to alleged payoffs to Stormy Daniels," Sullivan said.
Newsweek sought email comment from attorneys representing Trump and Weisselberg on Sunday.
Sullivan said that the Daniel criminal trial "is the only case pending in New York and Weisselberg may be able to connect the dots on the money that was used for the alleged payoff."
Sullivan believes that Weisselberg may provide vital evidence about the payment to Daniels without being called as a witness.
"Even though he is not expected to be a witness in the Daniels case, he may end up being one if his cooperation provides relevant evidence," he said.
He was referring to allegations that the former president agreed to a scheme to falsify documents while reimbursing his former lawyer Michael Cohen via a series of checks for a "hush money" payments made to Daniels in 2016.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges relating to the case and has repeatedly said it is part of a political witch hunt aimed at derailing his bid for the White House. Daniels said in January that she is "set to testify" in the trial, which will begin in New York on March 25. Whether Trump will choose to attend the trial is unknown at this stage.
The payments case is now scheduled to be the next trial for Trump following the cancellation of the March 4 start date for the federal interference trial due to take place in Washington D.C.
It is also the first criminal case filed against Trump, with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg bringing felony charges against the former president in March 2023.
Separately, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Trump for inflating the value of his assets to get more favorable loans. James is asking for $370 million and for Trump to be permanently barred from doing business in New York. Trump has maintained his innocence and claimed the case is politically motivated as he is the GOP frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race.
After Judge Arthur Engoron determined that Trump was liable for fraud, a months-long damages trial ensued late last year. The trial ended in early January with Engoron saying that he would try to have his ruling by January 31. However, a New York court spokesperson said on Thursday that a verdict will not be reached until early to mid-February, adding that the new deadline is "subject to modifications."
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About the writer
Sean O'Driscoll is a Newsweek Senior Crime and Courts Reporter based in Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. law. ... Read more