Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment in New York, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Trump surrendered to authorities ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Andrew Kelly, POOL
WASHINGTON – Legal experts are still puzzling over Alvin Bragg’s pursuit of Donald Trump – and some are focusing on one mostly overlooked aspect of the indictment.
The Manhattan district attorney’s statement of facts alleges that Trump and his operatives “mischaracterized for tax purposes” payments that were made to his lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen.
Bragg has been vague on the details, but former assistant U.S. attorney Neama Rahmani says the prospect of tax fraud would make for a much stronger case.
Rahmani says Bragg may be keeping his cards close to his vest for now to avoid giving Trump’s defence team too much insight into his strategy.
The statement of facts says the Trump Organization paid Cohen $360,000 – twice what he was owed – to allow him to claim it as income, rather than as a reimbursement.
Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records, which are misdemeanours in their own right but become felony charges if linked to other crimes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2023.
