Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg granted immunity in Michael Cohen investigation, ABC News reports
NEW YORK -- U.S. prosecutors granted immunity to longtime Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg in the investigation of former Donald Trump attorney Michael Cohen, sources tell ABC News.
The veteran Trump Organization employee was subpoenaed earlier this year to appear before a grand jury hearing a case presented by federal prosecutors in New York's Southern District, as ABC News previously reported.
Weisselberg's testimony related solely to the Cohen investigation, providing information in both documents and testimony earlier this year in exchange for legal immunity, sources familiar with Weisselberg's agreement with federal prosecutors say.
Weisselberg, 71, is one of the longest-serving employees of President Donald Trump, having worked for Trump's father, Fred, before joining the company decades ago.
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Word of immunity for Weisselberg came a day after reports that federal prosecutors have granted immunity to National Enquirer chief David Pecker, potentially laying bare his efforts to protect his longtime friend Trump.
Trump ex-lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty this week to campaign finance violations alleging he, Trump and the tabloid were involved in buying the silence of a porn actress and a Playboy model who alleged affairs.
The National Enquirer kept a safe containing documents about hush-money payments and damaging stories it killed as part of its cozy relationship with Donald Trump leading up to 2016 presidential election, people familiar with the arrangement told The Associated Press.
Several people familiar with the Enquirer's parent, American Media Inc., who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they signed non-disclosure agreements, said the safe was a great source of power for Pecker, the company's CEO.
The Trump records were stored alongside similar documents pertaining to other celebrities' catch-and-kill deals, in which exclusive rights to people's stories were bought with no intention of publishing to keep them out of the news. By keeping celebrities' embarrassing secrets, the company was able to ingratiate itself with them and ask for favors in return.
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Some information from The Associated Press
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