Former President Donald Trump's campaign and businesses have provided "Significant financial benefits" to nine of the witnesses in his criminal cases, ProPublica reported Monday morning - shrugging off a threatening cease-and-desist letter sent by Trump's attorney.
The detailed report by ProPublica's Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski describes how nine individuals who have been named as witnesses received benefits that included "Large raises from his campaign, severance packages, new jobs, and a grant of shares and cash from Trump's media company" from Trump's various campaign committees and businesses.
These benefits "Often came at delicate moments in the legal proceedings against Trump," said the report, highlighting one example of Trump aide Dan Scavino, who was given a "Plum position on the board of Trump's social media company, for example, got the seat after he was subpoenaed but before he testified." Other well-known names in Trump's circle mentioned in the article include campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn, campaign head Susie Wiles, lawyer Evan Corcoran, and former Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg.
Salary increases, bonuses, promotions, and other benefits, can be evidence of witness tampering, the ProPublica article explained, if prosecutors can show that these employment changes occurred separate from normal business operations and the "Perks or punishments were intended to influence testimony." Even if no new charges are brought against the former president who is now a convicted felon, the details of these benefits could be used by prosecutors in Trump's still-pending cases to "Undermine the credibility" of these witnesses if the defense calls them to provide testimony helpful to Trump.
The Trump Org and various campaign entities have, of course, denied that any wrongdoing took place, and denied that Trump had knowledge or direct involvement in compensation issues.
One former aide compared working for the Trump Organization, his large company, to "a small family business" where every employee "In some sense reports to Mr. Trump." Former aides have said Trump demands unwavering loyalty from subordinates, even when their duties require independence Trump's former campaign manager and former campaign adviser were convicted on federal witness tampering charges in 2018 and 2019.
Trump posted on social media that he had read about a Georgia politician who "Will be testifying before the Fulton County Grand Jury. He shouldn't." One witness has said publicly that, when he quit working for Trump in the midst of the classified documents criminal investigation, he was offered golf tournament tickets, a lawyer paid for by Trump and a new job that would have come with a raise.