Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, has been issued a subpoena to appear before a federal grand jury as part of the criminal investigation into Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, according to a report.
Cohen is under investigation for potentially violating tax and campaign finance laws, and Weisselberg is viewed as a witness in the probe, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The report came after an audio recording was released on Tuesday that captured a conversation between Trump and Cohen in September 2016. The conversation centered around purchasing the rights to a former Playboy model’s story about an alleged affair with Trump.
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“I’ve spoken with Allen Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up,” Cohen said during the recording. It’s uncertain if Cohen actually consulted Weisselberg about purchasing the rights to the story.
Former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also claims to have had a sexual relationship with Trump, was paid $150,000 for exclusive rights of her story from the publisher of the National Enquirer, in exchange for her silence on the matter. However, the story never was published.
Cohen’s home and office were raided by the FBI in April, where agents seized computers, phones, and other materials.
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Porn star Stormy Daniels has also been embroiled in a legal battle with Trump over an alleged extramarital affair. Cohen paid her $130,000 in exchange for her silence on the affair, but she filed a lawsuit earlier this year claiming the nondisclosure agreement she signed should be nullified because Trump didn’t sign it.
Weisselberg was responsible for overseeing the Trump Organization’s reimbursement to Cohen, which came in the form of a $35,000 monthly retainer. Weisselberg was not aware of the payment to Clifford when he coordinated the monthly payments, the Wall Street Journal reported.
However, Weisselberg viewed documents pertaining to the expenditures made by Cohen for Trump from his personal home-equity line of credit as part of discussions about the retainer.
A Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office spokesperson declined to comment to the Wall Street Journal. Weisselberg and a spokesperson for the Trump Organization did not respond to the Wall Street Journal’s media requests.
Trump has denied the alleged affairs with McDougal and Daniels.
