Trump Organization controller expected to appear before grand jury: report

A Trump Organization executive is expected to testify before a grand jury in Manhattan that is investigating former President Trump’s role in hush-money payments paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels right before the 2016 election, CNN reported.

Jeffrey McConney, the controller of the Trump Organization, is expected to appear before the grand jury as the Manhattan district attorney ramps up his criminal investigation into Trump. The New York Times reported that District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) is escalating the investigation through giving the grand jury evidence about hush money paid to Daniels in 2016.

Bragg spokeswoman Danielle Filson declined to comment on or confirm whether McConney will appear.

According to the Times, Bragg is also seeking to interview former employees of the National Enquirer, which helped make the deal with Daniels. David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, was seen with his lawyer walking into the building where the grand jury is located.

These new developments in the Manhattan prosecutors’ investigation come after the Trump Organization was found guilty of tax fraud in December. Testimonies from McConney and former Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, who pleaded guilty to tax evasion as part of a deal with prosecutors in August, helped the prosecutors back up the case that led to the conviction.

Shortly after the conviction in December, Bragg reiterated that the investigation was “ongoing” and that the case was “one chapter in the book” for his team’s investigation. 

Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen said on Wednesday that he turned over his cellphones to the Manhattan prosecutors that included text messages, emails and voice messages he exchanged with Keith Davidson, former attorney to Daniels. He said the contents will help serve as evidence if the prosecutors move forward in the case, which he suspected they will.

Cohen pleaded guilty to eight charges in 2018, including one count of making an excessive campaign contribution on Oct. 27, 2016, the same date that Cohen paid Daniels in a nondisclosure agreement over an affair Daniels alleges she had with Trump. Trump denies that the affair happened.