A former prosecutor familiar with Donald Trump’s financial affairs investigation has said he could easily face charges of fraud and money laundering based on the evidence revealed by prosecutors so far. While speaking with MSNBC host Joy Reid, attorney Seema Iyer made it clear she believes there is nothing standing in the way of the Southern District of New York laying charges against Trump for campaign finance violations immediately.
Reid asked Iyer during a debate with co-panelist Paul Butler if Donald Trump is at risk of being indicted over things such as insurance fraud, money laundering or tax evasion while acting as president. Iyer firmly disagreed with Butler, saying the evidence laid out to the public so far is more than enough to serve Donald Trump an indictment.
One hundred and fifty percent, yes. The Justice Department regulations that govern [special counsel Robert] Mueller’s appointment say Mueller [was] allowed to deviate from policy in, quote/unquote, extraordinary circumstances.”
Iyer continued by explaining that the Southern District of New York is in a particularly interesting position investigating the president for insurance fraud and financial crimes because of how far back the allegations go. Many of the crimes alleged against Trump happened between 2011 and 2013 — before his presidential campaign began. She says the challenge the prosecutors face is proving whether or not the payments made by Trump were known to be illegal at the time they were made.
At the moment, the Southern District of New York’s investigations into financial crimes committed by Trump are ongoing as they continue to work with his former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen. Cohen said during his testimony earlier this week that he is in “constant contact” with investigators about these matters and provided bombshell evidence showing Trump knew about illegal payments made during and before his presidency.
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