An 11-page letter penned by attorney Todd Blanche on behalf of Donald Trump was sent to New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr., accusing him and his office of engaging in “prosecutorial misconduct” ahead of the impending hush-money trial set to commence later this month.
Blanche sharply criticized Bragg for allegedly overlooking the “admitted and repeated perjury” of Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for Trump and the prosecution’s key witness in the upcoming trial. Concurrently, Blanche accused Bragg’s office of subjecting Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, to “vindictive and oppressive pressure.” Weisselberg recently pleaded guilty to perjury charges related to false statements made last May preceding a civil trial against Trump.
The letter castigated Bragg, questioning his fitness for office and asserting that his actions jeopardize innocent individuals like Weisselberg. Blanche contended that Bragg’s office coerced Weisselberg into pleading guilty to baseless charges under the threat of lengthy imprisonment, despite his innocence.
Blanche decried what he characterized as Bragg’s leniency towards Cohen, who admitted to multiple counts of perjury, contrasting it with the alleged targeting of Weisselberg. The letter accused Bragg of selective prosecution and urged him to reconsider his approach to Cohen and Weisselberg’s cases.
The emergence of Weisselberg’s new criminal case coincides with Trump’s impending trial on separate charges of falsifying business records. These allegations pertain to purported efforts to conceal hush money payments during the 2016 campaign to suppress allegations of extramarital affairs, charges that Trump vehemently denies.
While Cohen implicated Weisselberg in orchestrating the payments, no charges have been brought against Weisselberg in this matter, and neither prosecutors nor Trump’s legal team have indicated plans to call him as a witness. The trial is scheduled to commence on March 25.
Blanche concluded the letter by urging Bragg to reconsider his stance on Cohen and Weisselberg and to cease what he characterized as selective and oppressive misconduct by his office.
