You know how you never actually see a criminal on the stand admit to their crimes like the portray it on Perry Mason–“Ya got me, smart guy! I killed ‘er! I’m the one that skewered her with 3,000 toothpicks! But she didn’t deserve it. Poor Olive!”–well, Donald Trump just did that.
As The Daily Beast reports, in a deposition relating to the investigation into how Trump Organization security personnel treated protesters against Trump’s campaign in 2015, Trump admitted to being solely responsible for the allegedly illegal compensation paid to Trump Organization Chief Operating Officer Matthew Calamari Sr.
Filed with the court Tuesday, the admission that Trump personally approved Calamari’s compensation can be used in other cases in which the Trump Organization is a central focus: the state investigations into the compensation of Calamari and the ongoing prosecution of former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, who was indicted on tax fraud last year.
Trump’s admission in a sworn deposition can now be used as evidence that he was responsible for the company’s illegal payments to Calamari and likely to Weisselberg. It can also be used in a wider investigation, currently before a grand jury, into potentially criminal tax evasion maneuvers done by the Trump Organization.
Thanks to Meowwolf for the tip.