Donald Trump Jr has admitted that he personally signed one of the hush money checks now at the centre of his father’s arrest on criminal charges.
The former president’s son told right-wing network Newsmax that part of Mr Trump’s indictment on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records refers to his own actions.
“That son is me. Like I said, clearly also not a campaign finance violation if it’s from his own trust, not to a campaign, not from the campaign, not from the funds raised from it,” he said.
“So, none of it actually makes any sense.”
In the criminal indictment unsealed on Tuesday, prosecutors allege that a check made out to Mr Trump’s former “fixer” Michael Cohen was falsely recorded as a “retainer” in the Trump Organization’s business records.
The check was signed by former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg – who is now in Riker’s Island on a fraud conviction – “and the Defendant’s son, as trustees”.
The son in question was not named in the charging documents but Don Jr later confirmed it was him as he joins his father in railing against the charges.
Don Jr has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the criminal case and the payment itself is not illegal.
Instead, prosecutors allege that a crime was committed when this payment – and many others – to Cohen were falsely recorded in the Trump Organization’s business records.
The crime then reaches the level of a felony when the falsified records were made while in commission of another crime.
According to Manhattan prosecutors, Mr Trump and Cohen carried out a “catch and kill” scheme in the lead-up to the 2016 election.
Cohen allegedly made hush money payments on Mr Trump’s behalf to suppress negative information about the presidential candidate.
The payments were allegedly made to silence individuals over alleged affairs he had with women.
Mr Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election,” the charging documents read.
Three specific alleged affairs and hush money payments were mentioned in the charging documents – a $130,000 payment to adult film star Daniels, a $150,000 to former playboy model Karen McDougal and a $30,000 payment to a doorman at Trump Tower who claimed he had information that Mr Trump had fathered a child with a woman while married to Melania Trump.
Mr Trump then allegedly reimbursed Cohen but falsely recorded the payments as legal fees.
Back in 2019, Cohen testified before a House committee that Don Jr signed some of the checks reimbursing him for the payment to Ms Daniels.
Cohen has already served jail time for his part in the hush money case and has now become prosecutor’s star witness in the case against Mr Trump.
During Weisselberg’s trial last year, he testified that both of Mr Trump’s adult sons Don Jr and Eric Trump signed checks that he used to defraud authorities but insisted that no member of the Trump family played a part in his tax evasion scheme.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal illegal activity connected to his 2016 presidential campaign.
Each of the 34 criminal charges relates to an individual entry in the Trump Organization’s business records.
Mr Trump surrendered to Manhattan authorities on Tuesday afternoon and was officially arrested on the charges.
He then appeared in court for his arraignment before Judge Juan Merchan – the same judge who sentenced the Trump Organization and its CFO last year.
Cutting a glum figure, he defiantly pleaded not guilty to all the charges and has continued to lash out at the judge and Manhattan DA in the aftermath.
