Recent court documents have unveiled that Donald Trump was aware that his Manhattan triplex in Trump Tower was not the 30,000 square feet he claimed it to be. The New York attorney general, Letitia James, has accused Trump of allegedly overvaluing his assets for monetary gain, with the size of his penthouse being one of the significant discrepancies.
Quick Facts
- Deceptive Claim: Trump has stated in official bank documents that his triplex is 30,000 square feet, while it is roughly one-third of that size.
- 1994 Document: A 1994 document signed by Trump indicates the size of his Trump Tower residence to be 10,996 square feet.
- Former CFO’s Testimony: Allen Weisselberg, the former Trump Organization CFO, acknowledged the email to which the 1994 document was attached but did not recall the actual document.
Trump’s claim about the size of his penthouse was used to secure more favorable loan terms. The discrepancy came to light when a reporter from Forbes magazine informed Weisselberg about the size difference in 2016. Despite the revelation, Trump’s 2016 financial statement still listed the apartment with the incorrect square footage.
Weisselberg also testified that he first learned about the size discrepancy from the Forbes reporter. Although he initially disputed the magazine’s reporting, he could not recall if he had anyone verify the actual size. Emails show that as Forbes continued to investigate the size of the triplex in 2017, a Trump Organization spokesman instructed another executive not to engage on the issue.
In 2022, Weisselberg pleaded guilty to conspiring with the Trump Organization to commit various crimes. The company was found guilty of these charges months later. Weisselberg revealed that he continues to receive installments from his $2 million severance package from the company.
Original article source: DNYUZ
