Former President Donald Trump on Thursday broke his silence and responded to the charges against his company and its chief financial officer, calling it a “disgrace” and a “witch hunt.”
driven by politics.
“The political Witch Hunt by the Radical Left Democrats, with New York now taking over the assignment, continues. It is dividing our Country like never before!” Trump said in a statement after the Trump Organization and top executive Allen Weisselberg were charged with multiple counts of conspiracy and fraud.
In a phone interview with ABC News’s John Santucci, Trump reacted to the news that Weisselberg was brought to court in handcuffs, saying it was a “disgrace” and accused prosecutors of pressuring Weisselberg to turn against him, saying “they want him to lie against Trump.”
Weisselberg, who turned himself in to New York City prosecutors earlier Thursday morning, pleaded not guilty to all 15 charges, which include tax fraud, conspiracy, grand larceny and falsifying business records. Prosecutors allege that Weisselberg helped orchestrate a scheme to compensate himself and “other Trump Organization executives” with unreported income.
Trump was not mentioned in the charging documents but prosecutors suggested that executives other than Weisselberg were implicated in the scheme.
The charges are likely to turn up the pressure on Trump, especially if Weisselberg chooses to cooperate with prosecutors in the criminal probe, which the district attorney’s office says is ongoing.
BREAKING: Former Pres. Trump responds to charges against Trump Organization and its longtime CFO, speaking to @ABC News' John @Santucci. https://t.co/RYIcPNUXJx pic.twitter.com/x9IFiVcA3b
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 1, 2021