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Why Allen Weisselberg, Trump’s Money Man, Could Face Scrutiny Next

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Mr. Weisselberg has referred to himself as President Trump’s “eyes and ears” at the Trump Organization. He was incriminated by Michael Cohen in testimony on Wednesday.
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In testimony before Congress this week, Michael Cohen cast himself as a central figure in schemes that could threaten the presidency of Donald J. Trump.
But Mr. Cohen said he didn’t work alone, unexpectedly mentioning by name the involvement of another member of Mr. Trump’s inner circle, Allen Weisselberg, more than 20 times. The revelations are set to intensify the scrutiny on Mr. Weisselberg, Mr. Trump’s unassuming 71-year-old chief financial officer, who already is a focus for federal prosecutors in New York.
On Wednesday, Mr. Cohen specifically identified Mr. Weisselberg as helping mastermind a strategy to mask reimbursements to Mr. Cohen for his payment to Stormy Daniels, the pornographic film actress who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump.
Representative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, said after Wednesday’s hearing that he “probably will” want to call additional witnesses, including Mr. Weisselberg, to gather additional evidence about the hush-money payment.
A Democratic official said that the House Intelligence Committee anticipates calling Mr. Weisselberg to testify, as well.
Mr. Cohen said in the hearing that the payment was ordered by Mr. Trump, which violated campaign finance laws because it was intended to buy Ms. Daniels’s silence so that she could not hurt Mr. Trump’s prospects right before the election.
Mr. Cohen said he had paid Ms. Daniels with his own money, and then was repaid by the Trump Organization.
“Allen Weisselberg made the decision that it should be paid over the 12 months so that it would look like a retainer,” Mr. Cohen told lawmakers, describing how reimbursements were made monthly.
Mr. Cohen submitted to Congress a copy of a $35,000 check — labeled exhibit 5b — that he said was one of those monthly payments.
It was signed by Mr. Weisselberg and Donald Trump Jr.
Mr. Weisselberg declined to comment through his lawyers. But it is clear why lawmakers and investigators might home in on him as they examine the Trump Organization’s finances.
After Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance fraud and other crimes in August, federal prosecutors in Manhattan began focusing on what role the Trump Organization and its executives, including Mr. Weisselberg, played in the campaign finance scheme, according to people briefed on the matter.
As part of the investigation, Mr. Weisselberg was granted limited immunity to testify before a federal grand jury last year. But there has been no indication that he has cooperated with prosecutors.
Mr. Weisselberg, an accountant, began his career doing the books for Mr. Trump’s father in a dingy building in Brooklyn. For decades, he has represented Mr. Trump on paperwork for everything from complex real estate deals to the operations of the antique carousel in Central Park, which the Trump Organization runs.
In 2015, a lawyer representing students who alleged they were defrauded by Mr.

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