(TheRedWire.com) – Attorneys for both former President Trump and the New York Attorney General’s Office have appealed to a New York judge to set aside allegations of perjury by a witness during their deliberations in an ongoing legal matter.
A recent article by The New York Times indicated that Allen Weisselberg, previously the Chief Financial Officer for the Trump Organization and a co-defendant in the case, is in discussions with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office about admitting to perjury related to his testimony in Trump’s civil fraud trial.
Following this report, Judge Arthur Engoron, overseeing the case, requested updates from both legal teams.
Judge Engoron expressed his duty to ascertain the truth, especially in light of the possibility that Weisselberg might be retracting his previous statements and admitting to perjury in his court.
The judge also expressed concern that he might consider all of Weisselberg’s testimony as untruthful and sought advice from both parties on how to proceed.
Kevin Wallace, representing the state, clarified that the Attorney General’s Office is not part of the discussions regarding Weisselberg’s alleged false testimony. He emphasized that any perjury by Weisselberg should not delay the judge’s decision in the case, arguing that waiting for a resolution in plea discussions could unjustly benefit the defendants if Weisselberg is found guilty of perjury.
Clifford Robert, representing Trump’s sons, challenged the accuracy of the Times’ report and questioned the appropriateness of the judge’s consideration of this report in his verdict.
Alina Habba, representing Weisselberg and several Trump entities, stated she hasn’t engaged with the District Attorney’s Office regarding the issues reported by The New York Times and refrained from further comment due to professional ethics, urging the judge to ignore the report in his judgment.
Chris Kise, another lawyer for Trump, criticized the coordination between the Attorney General’s Office and the District Attorney, arguing that court decisions should be based on trial evidence, not media speculation. He accused Alvin Bragg and Letitia James of using media attention to support their case against President Trump.
The lawsuit, filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accuses Trump, the Trump Organization, and several executives, including his adult sons, of inflating Trump’s net worth in financial statements for tax and insurance benefits. The trial concluded after more than two months of testimony from around 40 witnesses, with Judge Engoron previously ruling Trump and his business guilty of fraud.
James’s office is seeking a $370 million financial penalty against Trump and a lifetime ban from New York’s real estate sector, with the judge’s decision pending.
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