Seems like it would be against the law for a defendant to pay witnesses scheduled to testify against him - at least in a country that respects the rule of law. Actions of a desperate and guilty man. trump’s lawyers have demanded this article not be published. Pro-publica says: Trump Witnesses Have Received Financial Benefits From Trump Businesses, Campaign — ProPublica Nine witnesses in the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump have received significant financial benefits, including large raises from his campaign, severance packages, new jobs, and a grant of shares and cash from Trump’s media company. The benefits have flowed from Trump’s businesses and campaign committees, according to a ProPublica analysis of public disclosures, court records and securities filings. One campaign aide had his average monthly pay double, from $26,000 to $53,500. Another employee got a $2 million severance package barring him from voluntarily cooperating with law enforcement. And one of the campaign’s top officials had her daughter hired onto the campaign staff, where she is now the fourth-highest-paid employee. These pay increases and other benefits often came at delicate moments in the legal proceedings against Trump. One aide who was given a plum position on the board of Trump’s social media company, for example, got the seat after he was subpoenaed but before he testified.
And we can end with: Overall, we rate ProPublica Left-Center biased based on story selection that favors the left and factually High due to proper sourcing and evidence-based reporting." Seems as if proPublica is more in tune with "fact" than the poster, unless non-supportive facts are disallowed/censored.
"Another employee got a $2 million severance package barring him from voluntarily cooperating with law enforcement." They reportedly had such an agreement with Weisselberg which was apparently why neither side called him at trial. I had never heard of a clause like that and a little surprised it's enforceable given public policy implications.
And yet it never agreed to a settlement of this nature. Fox, Dominion reach $787M settlement over election claims Although the publication may lean left it's articles are factual unlike a number of right-wing pro-Trump outlets.
The key word is voluntary. Weisselberg could have always been subpoenaed by the prosecution as a hostile witness.
They could have, but what I read is that neither side knew what he was going to say. I wondered whether they could have subpoenaed him for a deposition but not sure.
Let’s pretend it is factual. Would it bother you? If not then I wont bother looking into further. But if those facts would bother you I’ll see if I can find some other sources to their claims.
Yes, if factual and didn’t check out for necessity and/or reasonableness, then I would absolutely be bothered. But I have seen too many instances in my lifetime where a conflicted party, in this case (and many others) media have ignored, embellished,or downright made up crap to get clicks, sell paper, or get viewers to trust any of them at face value. I believe I said the same thing on the “Biden Showers with Daughter” thread. GM Trucks, Food Lion, and an additional list too long to mention have been victims of so called “investigative journalism”. Facts don’t matter if they don’t support the narrative.
If you scroll through the report it is well sourced and links to original interviews and statements made publicly and to other news agencies. It leaves it up to you to draw any conclusions as to whether all this activity around witnesses was improper because they dont have a smoking gun to show it was directed by Trump but they do show that all those promotions, bonuses, new jobs, paid for lawyers, and even tickets were given to witnesses between being charged and his court cases.
While that provision should be void as being against public policy, the word "voluntary" might save it. They obviously couldn't require people to not honor subpoenas and the like. In Florida, that's a felony. 914.22 Tampering with or harassing a witness, victim, or informant; penalties.— (1) A person who knowingly uses intimidation or physical force, or threatens another person, or attempts to do so, or engages in misleading conduct toward another person, or offers pecuniary benefit or gain to another person, with intent to cause or induce any person to: (a) Withhold testimony, or withhold a record, document, or other object, from an official investigation or official proceeding; (b) Alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal an object with intent to impair the integrity or availability of the object for use in an official investigation or official proceeding; (c) Evade legal process summoning that person to appear as a witness, or to produce a record, document, or other object, in an official investigation or an official proceeding; (d) Be absent from an official proceeding to which such person has been summoned by legal process; (e) Hinder, delay, or prevent the communication to a law enforcement officer or judge of information relating to the commission or possible commission of an offense or a violation of a condition of probation, parole, or release pending a judicial proceeding; or (f) Testify untruthfully in an official investigation or an official proceeding, commits the crime of tampering with a witness, victim, or informant. (2) Tampering with a witness, victim, or informant is a: (a) Felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084, where the official investigation or official proceeding affected involves the investigation or prosecution of a misdemeanor. (b) Felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084, where the official investigation or official proceeding affected involves the investigation or prosecution of a third degree felony. (c) Felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084, where the official investigation or official proceeding affected involves the investigation or prosecution of a second degree felony. (d) Felony of the first degree, punishable by a term of years not exceeding life or as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084, where the official investigation or official proceeding affected involves the investigation or prosecution of a first degree felony or a first degree felony punishable by a term of years not exceeding life. (e) Life felony, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084, where the official investigation or official proceeding affected involves the investigation or prosecution of a life or capital felony. (f) Felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084, where the offense level of the affected official investigation or official proceeding is indeterminable or where the affected official investigation or official proceeding involves a noncriminal investigation or proceeding.
