Former US President Donald Trump on Saturday condemned the fraud and conspiracy charges filed against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, during a rally in Florida.
During the rally in Sarasota, Trump accused New York City prosecutors of "prosecutorial misconduct", reported The Hill. "They've mobilized every power of government to come after me, my family, my wonderful employees and my company solely because of politics," he said.
"It's a terrible, terrible thing," he told a crowd of supporters gathered at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds.
The Trump Organization was charged in a New York court on Thursday with a litany of tax crimes ranging over 15 years that its Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg pleaded not guilty to and which the former US president called "politically motivated."
Extensive details were provided on how Weisselberg received indirect employee compensation from the Trump Organization in the approximate amount of USD 1.76 million. He was accused of evading approximately USD 556,385 in federal taxes, around USD 106,568 in state taxes, and about USD 238,159 in New York City taxes.
He was also said to have falsely claimed and received approximately USD 94,902 in federal tax refunds and approximately USD 38,222 in state tax refunds, to which he was not entitled.
Weisselberg, who has worked for Trump since the 1980s, is considered the most important figure in the Trump Organization. He has been involved in even minor financial transactions, including coordinating Trump's personal gifts to charity.
The charges against the Trump Organization come after at least three years of tax-related investigations against the former president, whom tax return documents reported by the New York Times last year showed did not pay any taxes for at least a decade before his successful 2016 campaign for the White House, according to Sputnik.
Trump previously expressed his dissatisfaction with the charges in a Thursday statement, arguing, "The political Witch Hunt by the Radical Left Democrats, with New York now taking over the assignment, continues."
Meanwhile, the former president, who also used the Sarasota rally to repeat his false claims of widespread fraud that led him to lose the 2020 election, again hinted at the possibility of running again in 2024, The Hill reported.
"We are looking at the election, more than looking at it," Trump said Saturday, prompting cheers from the Florida crowd.
( With inputs from ANI )
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