- Donald Trump Jr. appeared on Fox News to discuss the indictment of Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg.
- Weisselberg was charged with tax fraud and other financial crimes by NYC prosecutors Thursday.
- Trump Jr. called the charges a "political persecution" that might happen in a "banana republic."
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Donald Trump Jr. called the arrest of Trump Org. Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg a "political persecution" that would suit a "banana republic," during an interview on Fox News Thursday night.
Weisselberg turned himself into Manhattan prosecutors on Thursday, after a highly-anticipated indictment was filed against the Trump Org. and its CFO.
He was charged with 15 felony counts including scheme to defraud, conspiracy, and grand larceny.
Both Weisselberg and the Trump Org. have pleaded not guilty.
An enraged Trump Jr. appeared on Fox News to complain about the indictment and Weisselberg's arrest.
"This is the political persecution of a political enemy. This is what Vladimir Putin does," Trump Jr. said, ignoring the fact that his father has often praised the Russian leader.
"This is banana republic stuff and if our press was even a little bit intellectually honest, they would be calling it that," Trump Jr. said.
Trump Jr. is an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, and ran the company alongside his brother Eric while Trump was president.
This isn't the first time in the last year that US has been compared to a banana republic by a prominent Republican.
Former President George W. Bush made the comparison after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, trying to stop the certification of Joe Biden as the nation's 46th president.
Trump Jr. continued: "The reality is this: Prior to politics no one questioned whether my dad built good buildings or ran a great business or had incredible assets, or built exquisite hotels. That was never a question. It was only when he took on the Democrat establishment that all of these things magically came they have to look at it very carefully now."
Trump Jr.'s assertion that his father had a stellar business reputation before he got into politics isn't true. Both Trump and his father, Fred Trump, were accused of discriminatory practices in their apartment buildings, and Trump himself filed for bankruptcy four times.
Trump Jr. went on to accuse the Manhattan DA's office of wasting taxpayer money investigating his family's company when they could be focusing on investigations into Hunter Biden and violent crime in the city.
"Penn Station's like a war zone, the city's going to hell and this is where they're focusing on because it's easy to go after your political enemies in deep blue states and cities like New York City ... We've seen more stuff about Hunter Biden that they haven't even looked at that," he said.
"They've been spending five years, millions of dollars, and countless hours and reviewing millions and millions of documents. This is what they come up with? Give me a break ... It's a disgrace and it needs to be called out."
When asked whether Trump Jr. was afraid that Weisselberg might now turn on the Trumps and start working with prosecutors, Trump Jr. seemed unfazed.
"Everyone's talking about, well they want to get him to flip. There has to be something to flip on," Trump Jr. said.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/3Aj5uMF
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