Trump Ally Promised His Silence in Exchange for $2.4 Million

Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer for the Trump Organization, reportedly agreed to a $2.4 million severance package that required his silence, as former President Donald Trump continues his legal battle in New York.

On Wednesday, Lisa Rubin, a legal analyst for MSNBC, shared screenshots of the severance package agreed to by Weisselberg that said: "except for acts or testimony directly compelled by subpoena or other lawful process issued by a court of competent jurisdiction, he will not: (1) communicate with, provide information to, or otherwise cooperate in any way with any person or entity, including his counsel or other agents, having or claiming to have any adverse claims against the company."

In a series of posts to X, formerly Twitter, Rubin explained that "it's not atypical to require an employee to promise not to assist with others' claims" but noted that the severance agreement wasn't signed until the day before Weisselberg was sentenced in a separate case relating to tax evasion by the Trump Organization earlier this year.

Michael McAuliffe, a former federal prosecutor and elected state attorney, told Newsweek on Thursday that "cooperation and non-disclosure provisions in severance agreements drafted by employers are not unusual."

"They create a barrier to information that helps former employers keep secrets—legitimate and otherwise. In Trump's circumstance, it has the added goal of keeping a central player from easily disclosing information about Trump. However, given that the exception—a subpoena—applies with full force, the public is hearing from Weisselberg regardless of the agreement," McAuliffe said.

Trump has been accused by New York Attorney General Letitia James of fraudulently increasing his own net worth and the value of his properties, such as his Mar-a-Lago residence, in a civil fraud case. Both of Trump's sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, were named in James' lawsuit.

On Tuesday, Weisselberg took the stand to testify in Trump's civil fraud cause and said he was aware that the square footage of Trump Tower was inflated on financial statements from 10,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet.

"Looking at the value of that apartment relative to his net worth is not material. It's about 1 percent," Weisselberg testified. "Looking at the statement of financial condition, there were much larger items on there that I was more concerned about."

Prior to the civil fraud trial, Trump spoke about Weisselberg during a deposition in April when he said: "He was with me for a long time. He was liked. He was respected. Now, he's gone through hell and back. What's happened to him is very sad," CBS News reported.

Since the civil fraud trial began, Trump has continued to maintain his innocence and has repeatedly criticized James and Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the case.

"By any other Judge in New York, the trial brought by the Corrupt and Racist A.G., Peekaboo James, would be dismissed and over. This case should never have been allowed to be brought - I have NO RIGHTS, & DON'T EVEN GET, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, A JURY. Peekaboo has misrepresented values to the judge, like Mar-a-Lago being worth only $18,000,99," Trump said in a TruthSocial post this week.

"I am worth much more than my Financial Statements, so there can be NO FRAUD! I have a 100% Disclaimer Clause, so again, there can be NO FRAUD! This trial is an Election Interference Witch Hunt, and everybody knows it. New York State should intercede and stop this total travesty of Justice."

Newsweek reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.