Trump Org trial shocker: DA's own witnesses 'won't even talk to us' - Business Insider

• Opening statements successful the Trump Organization tax-fraud proceedings are expected Monday successful Manhattan.
• During assemblage selection, prosecutors revealed 2 DA witnesses person stopped gathering with them.
• At slightest 3 DA witnesses, including Trump Org's ex-controller and CFO, stay connected Trump's payroll.

At slightest 3 prosecution witnesses successful the Trump Organization tax-fraud proceedings are inactive connected the erstwhile president's payroll and 2 person stopped speaking with the Manhattan DA's bureau entirely, prosecutors person revealed successful unfastened court. 

In fact, immoderate are gathering alternatively with lawyers for Trump's company.

The shocking quality — that the DA's lawsuit against Trump's institution relies successful portion connected aggregate witnesses who are, arsenic 1 authoritative enactment it Thursday, "still moving astatine the Trump Corporation, gathering with the Trump Corporation, and they won't conscionable with us" — came arsenic assemblage enactment wrapped connected Friday.

A four-woman, eight-man jury was selected earlier successful the week; six alternate jurors chosen connected Friday. Openings person been acceptable for Monday successful the high-profile transgression proceedings successful New York Supreme Court.

Jurors volition perceive that Trump's real-estate and golf-resort empire allegedly ran a 15-year strategy to dodge payroll taxes by giving executives important compensation successful the signifier of untaxed "perks," including luxury cars and rent-free Trump-branded apartments. 

But jurors volition besides larn — from the prosecution's ain lawsuit — that astatine slightest 3 cardinal DA witnesses are inactive being paid by Trump.

They see the prosecution's prima witness, ex-CFO Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's apical fiscal enforcement for 30 years.

Weisselberg volition attest to his relation successful the payroll-tax strategy arsenic a information of his August blameworthy plea and continues to conscionable with prosecutors up of his testimony, his attorney, Nicholas Gravante, told Insider connected Friday.

Still, Weisselberg remains connected paid permission arsenic a Trump Organization peculiar adviser. He besides has nary volition of incriminating anyone named Trump, arsenic Insider has reported, suggesting helium volition attest that the alleged tax-dodge strategy stopped with him.

McConney, the company's longtime controller, had cooperated aboriginal connected with a Manhattan expansive assemblage successful speech for a assistance of immunity. But tribunal records amusement that he, too, fell connected his sword, besides telling expansive jurors that the alleged strategy stopped with him. 

McConney and astatine slightest 1 different cardinal DA witnesser besides stay connected the Trump payroll, Insider has learned from aggregate sources. 

Lead prosecutors Joshua Steinglass and Susan Hoffinger archetypal revealed the seemingly mixed loyalties of their 3 cardinal witnesses portion questioning prospective jurors, successful asking if they could support an unfastened caput arsenic they perceive grounds from Weisselberg, McConney, and different prosecution witnesses inactive moving astatine Trump Organization.

"Many of the witnesses inactive enactment for the Trump Organization," Steinglass told a sheet of prospective alternate jurors connected Friday morning.

"Their loyalty lies with that broadside of the courtroom," helium said, pointing toward the defence table.

"They won't adjacent speech to america ... we whitethorn person to propulsion them toward the truth" during questioning, helium added.

The enactment of questioning led defence lawyers to enactment that the prosecution was coming adjacent to impeaching its ain prima witnesses. 

Or, arsenic 1 defence lawyer, William J. Brennan, enactment it Thursday: "The authorities is throwing their ain witnesses nether the credibility bus." 

"I mean we're entitled to research witnesses' involvement and bias," Steinglass countered successful arguments extracurricular the earshot of prospective jurors, speaking to the justice presiding implicit the trial, authorities Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan.

Prosecutors person the close to research a witness' "affiliation" during questioning, Steinglass told the judge.

"And the information that witnesses are inactive moving astatine the Trump Corporation, that they're gathering with the Trump Corporation, they won't conscionable with america … Those things spell towards, you know, witnesser hostility, witnesser adversity. That's precise overmuch ingrained successful the case," the authoritative added.

The defence seems anxious to crook the DA witnesses to their ain advantage — oregon astatine slightest effort to formed their ain clouds of uncertainty arsenic it suits them, including eliciting grounds that institution executives felt "targeted" oregon "selectively prosecuted" by the DA probe.

That selective prosecution defence has been specifically banned by the judge, but defence lawyers person threatened to rise it anyhow if the prosecution "opens the door" by impeaching their ain witnesses, including by asking Weisselberg, McConney, and others wherefore they are inactive moving for Trump.

"I judge that the witnesses volition say, that it's their knowing they are inactive moving for the Trump Corporation due to the fact that they felt targeted — that the institution felt targeted (by the DA's office) and decided not to occurrence them," Necheles said successful court. 

"If they privation to spell down that roadworthy – 'why didn't you conscionable with prosecutors?' — they (the witness) whitethorn reply 'I consciousness targeted. I consciousness similar they person been threatening maine and my household and everybody successful the Trump Corporation.'"