by Donald Trump Jr has admitted he personally signed one of the silent money checks now at the center of his father’s arrest on criminal charges.
The former president’s son told the right-wing Newsmax network that part of Mr Trump’s indictment on 34 counts of falsifying business documents referred to his own actions.
“That son is me. Like I said, it’s clearly not a campaign finance violation either if it’s in his own trust, not in a campaign, not in the campaign, not to the funds raised through it,” he said.
“So none of this really makes sense.”
In the indictment released on Tuesday, prosecutors allege that a check made out to Mr Trump’s former ‘fixer’, Michael Cohen, was falsely recorded as ‘collateral’ in the Trump Organization business records.
The check was signed by the Trump Organization’s former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg – who is now at Riker’s Island for fraud – “and the defendant’s son, as trustees”.
The son in question was not named in the charging documents, but Don Jr later confirmed it was him as he joined his father in protesting the charges.
Don Jr has not been charged with any wrongdoing in the criminal case and the payment itself is not illegal.
Instead, prosecutors allege a crime was committed when that payment — and many others — to Cohen were falsely recorded in the Trump Organization’s business records.
The crime then rises to the level of a felony when the falsified records were made during the commission of another crime.
According to Manhattan prosecutors, Messrs. Trump and Cohen enacted a “catch and kill” scheme ahead of the 2016 election.
Donald Trump Jr (second from left) listens to his father’s post-impeachment speech at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday
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Cohen allegedly made silent payments on Mr. Trump’s behalf to suppress negative information about the presidential candidate.
The payments were allegedly made to silence individuals over alleged affairs he had with women.
Mr. Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that concealed information harmful to voters during the 2016 presidential election,” according to the charging documents.
Three specific alleged deals and silent money payments were mentioned in the charging documents – a $130,000 payment to adult film star Daniels, a $150,000 payment to former playboy model Karen McDougal and a $30,000 payment to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed he had information that Mr. Trump fathered a child with a woman while married to Melania Trump.
Mr. Trump then allegedly reimbursed Cohen but falsely recorded the payments as legal fees.
In 2019, Cohen testified before a House committee that Don Jr signed some of the checks reimbursing him for the payment to Ms. Daniels.
Cohen has previously served time in prison for his role in the Hush Money case and has now become the prosecutor’s star witness in the case against Mr Trump.
At Weisselberg’s trial last year, he said Mr Trump’s two adult sons, Don Jr and Eric Trump, signed checks he used to defraud authorities, but insisted that no member of the Trump family had played a role in his tax evasion scheme.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal illegal activities related to his 2016 presidential campaign.
Each of the 34 criminal charges relate to an individual entry in the Trump Organization’s business records.
Mr. Trump surrendered to authorities in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon and was formally arrested on the charges.
He then appeared in court for his arraignment before Judge Juan Merchan – the same judge who convicted the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer last year.
Cutting a sullen figure, he pleaded not guilty to all charges and went on to lash out at the Manhattan judge and prosecutor afterward.
