Because he has sued and been sued more times than he can possibly count, failed, one-term, twice-impeached former President Donald Trump has given numerous depositions over the years, and one that has just been unearthed could provide the evidence New York prosecutors need to finally nail him on charges of fraud.
The Daily Beast reports that a deposition Trump gave in a lawsuit filed against the Trump Organization shows that the ex-president knew the inner workings of his company, despite his insistence that he had no idea what was going on with the daily operations of his business:
In a lawsuit’s never-before-seen testimony, Donald Trump admitted to personally overseeing the compensation of an executive whose corporate perks have been under scrutiny by the Manhattan district attorney, potentially strengthening the case against the former president and his company for tax fraud. Trump’s sworn testimony was filed in New York state court on Tuesday, as part of a lawsuit against the Trump Organization over the way its security guards manhandled protesters outside Trump Tower in 2015.
In the deposition, which took place on Oct. 18, 2021, Trump was asked who had the final “authority” over how much one of his personal bodyguards, Matthew Calamari Sr., who later became chief operating officer of Trump Org., earned, Trump replied:
“It would be me.”
That admission — which was made under oath and under penalty of perjury — is exactly the evidence New York prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney and New York Attorney General’s offices need to prove that Trump knew and approved of the tax fraud his company is suspected of having committed over the course of several years:
“That would potentially make Trump personally responsible for any tax dodging scheme, and more importantly, is useful evidence in the grand jury investigation that has yet to produce an indictment against him. For months, three sources familiar with the Manhattan DA’s investigation have told The Daily Beast that investigators have been probing the way Calamari was paid off-the-books with allegedly untaxed perks, such as an extravagant corporate apartment at the Trump Park Avenue in New York City’s expensive midtown and a Mercedes-Benz. Prosecutors went as far as having Calamari’s son—corporate security director Matt Calamari Jr.—receive total immunity for potential crimes and testify before a grand jury.”
Allen Weisselberg, the longtime chief financial officer of Trump Org., has already been indicted by Manhattan prosecutors for allegedly committing tax fraud.
The uncovered deposition in which Trump brags that he determined compensation can now be used against the ex-president, who has long maintained that he had no idea any illegal activity was committed at Trump Org. and could also implicate others, including his three eldest children, Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric.
How ironic would it be if Trump’s own big mouth wound up being what leads to his downfall?