Trump Organization faces trial today on criminal fraud charges in New York
CBSNov 25, 2022
The Facts
Jury selection began on Mon. in the criminal trial of the Trump Organization, accused of tax crimes including fraud and other illegal business practices. If convicted, the company and its subsidiary Trump Payroll Corp. could face $1.6M in fines.
The indictment, which came down after a three-year investigation, alleges executives "received substantial portions of their income through indirect and disguised means," including luxury cars and expensive housing, so they could then report lower earnings to tax authorities.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Although Trump can’t be personally held responsible in this case, the chance for prosecutors to expose his company’s fraudulent tax practices could be an appetizer to the main course of future criminal cases and civil cases faced by the former president. Trump should be worried about what all these cases are doing to his prospects for a presidential run in 2024.
Pro-Trump narrative
The Democrats’ witch hunt never rests. New York AG Letitia James, a Democrat, is a biased actor looking for a crime in this case — she’s trying to shamelessly score political points by blocking Trump and his family from doing business in her state.
