Why NY state is building a strong 'racketeering' case against the Trump family: David Cay Johnston

On Feb. 14, 2022, former President Donald Trump’s long-time accounting firm, Mazars USA, announced that it was dropping the Trump Organization as a client. Journalist David Cay Johnson, author of the 2021 book “The Big Cheat: How Donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched Himself and His Family,” discussed that bombshell development the following day during an appearance on CNN’s “New Day” — and he argued that New York prosecutors are building a strong “racketeering” case against Trump and his family members.

When “New Day” host John Berman asked Johnston to discuss the “significance” of Mazars dropping the Trump Organization, the 73-year-old journalist/author responded, “Well, it’s very important in Donald’s case because he’s facing questions about running a racketeering enterprise and running a fraudulent company…. His accountants have turned against him and disavowed these compilations they put together where they said, ‘Well, here’s what our client Donald said these things were worth. Here’s how much money he said he had in the bank.’”

Mazars’ announcement, Johnston added, “indicates Donald is, more and more, being separated from people who can do him great harm by simply telling the truth.”

The fact that Mazars was willing to cooperate with a Manhattan grand jury, according to Johnston, means that “Mazars is helping the prosecutors put together what I expect will be a racketeering case — a New York State racketeering case — against Trump, the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg and probably, Donald’s three oldest children.”

Berman pointed out that in the “Mazars letter where they dumped the Trump Organization,” they were referring specifically to New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ civil investigation of Trump and his company’s financial activities — which is separate from a Trump Organization-related criminal investigation being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. And the “New Day” host asked Johnston if he believes that Mazars’ announcement also has “criminal implications.”

Johnston responded, “Oh, absolutely. But the attorney general’s case, while a civil matter, very clearly is aimed at trying to flush out how Donald cheated banks, insurers, investors. And of course, this is in the context of Donald and Don Jr. and Ivanka saying: We shouldn’t have to testify for you…. In fact, they actually asserted that the statement by Mazars makes the criminal and civil investigations moot, which is utter, complete nonsense.”

The journalist/author went on to predict that the Manhattan DA’s Office “is eventually going to indict Donald Trump,” noting some other Trump-related investigations that are taking place.

“Donald Trump will be indicted on a state racketeering charge,” Johnston told Berman. “I’m confident of that. And perhaps in Westchester County by the new DA, Mimi Rocah there, and in Fulton County, Georgia by (Fulton County DA) Fani Willis — who is looking into voter fraud and now has a grand jury just for the purpose of investigating Trump’s effort to interfere with the Georgia vote count.”