One of them saw his monthly income increase from $26,000 to $53,000. Another received a $2 million severance package as well as a ban on voluntary cooperation with the judicial system. Another saw her daughter hired by Donald Trump's campaign team, where she became the fourth highest paid employee. Nine witnesses in the criminal cases against the former president received significant financial benefits at crucial moments, including in the run-up to testifying before grand juries, according to a new report. investigation From the ProPublica news site.
“Significant changes in an employee's professional status, such as bonuses, salary increases, dismissals, or promotions, may constitute evidence of a crime if they fall outside the normal scope of activity. To prove witness tampering, prosecutors must prove that the benefits or punishments were intended to influence On the certificate.
The Trump campaign team denied any Trump involvement in the treatment of these employees. “The Trump 2024 campaign is the best-run and most professional operation in political history,” spokesman Stephen Cheung said. “Any false claim that we are engaging in the kind of behavior that could be considered frivolous is absurd and completely false.”
Boris Epshtein (on the right in the photo at the top of this post), Trump's legal advisor, is the one whose salaries doubled after the former president was indicted in a post-election conspiracy in Washington. Susan Wiles, co-director of the Trump campaign team, saw her salary increase by 20% before the campaign hired her daughter, whose annual salary is $220,000. She is one of the witnesses in the secret documents case in Florida. Margo Martin, another Trump adviser who witnessed a scene in which her boss showed classified documents to an unauthorized person, also received a significant pay raise.
And much more.
“It seems very suspicious, especially since we detected a trend. I'm concerned that it could have a corrupting influence,” Barbara McQuaid, a former U.S. attorney in Michigan, told ProPublica, adding that it is difficult to prove witness tampering in such cases.
ProPublica received an official notice from Trump's camp threatening a lawsuit if it was published. The site ignored the message.
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