During Tuesday’s trial focused on civil business fraud against ex-President Donald Trump, an unexpected 1994 document came to light. While for years Trump touted his Trump Tower penthouse at an impressive 30,000 square feet, this document, with Trump’s own signature, reveals a starkly different reality: just 10,996 square feet.
This shocking revelation came courtesy of Allen Weisselberg, once the financial backbone of Trump’s empire. The ex-CFO, now a pivotal figure in the lawsuit spearheaded by New York’s Attorney General Letitia James, shared that Trump’s actual penthouse size never really caught his attention, given the scale of Trump’s immense wealth.
VOA reports that he admitted that this discrepancy might not have even been shared with those handling Trump’s financial paperwork. Interestingly, Weisselberg highlighted Trump’s obsession with how properties were described, seeing them less as factual details and more as tools to lure investors.
Diving further into the past, in 2016, media giant Forbes pointed out this very discrepancy. However, the company, following Weisselberg’s direction, chose silence over clarification. Still, Trump’s 2016 financial documentation went on to state the wrong property size.
The crux of the trial zeroes in on claims of conspiracy, deceptive business records, and insurance fraud. If proven true, this could spell doom for Trump’s financial kingdom. AG Letitia James is gunning for a staggering $250 million in penalties and potentially stopping Trump from any business activities in New York.
With an earlier ruling hinting at Trump and his team artificially boosting the value of his assets for years, the consequence could be that external parties take control of Trump’s legacy businesses, including the iconic Trump Tower.
Weisselberg, who has been in the Trump camp since the early 70s, revealed the emotional and mental toll these events have taken, leading him to seek therapy and medication. Despite the tension, Trump, in a prior deposition, displayed a hint of compassion for Weisselberg and the hurdles he’s faced. All eyes are now on the trial’s outcome, as it threatens to reshape the trajectory of Trump’s financial empire and future endeavors.
