On Thursday, the Manhattan District Attorney's office criminally charged the Trump Organization, and its Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, for a 15 year tax scheme designed to funnel money into the pockets of the company's executives under the radar of the IRS.
It's the first time former President Donald Trump's company has faced criminal charges, though neither the former President or any of his family members have been charged at this time.
And while Weisselberg is the only individual arrested in connection with the charges, the indictment mentions that other executives benefitted from the scheme as well—a sign that more indictments may be on the way.
The former President's son, Donald Trump Jr., predictably railed against the charges on Fox News, characterizing them as another witch hunt targeting his father and family, but he made a stunning comparison.
Watch below.
Don Jr says this indictment is "no different" than what Putin has done to Alexei Navalny.\n\n(Navalny, who Don Jr. refers to as "Navatny," was poisoned with a nerve agent and imprisoned.)pic.twitter.com/GGmLcIVi98— Jan Wolfe (@Jan Wolfe) 1625183562
Trump Jr. said:
"This is the political persecution of a political enemy. This is what Vladimir Putin does. Just ask Navatny [sic]. He's been sitting in a cell, they're not sure why. But guess what? If no one's gonna challenge him and no one's gonna call him out, that's what's gonna happen."
Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok nerve gas by Russia's Federal Security Service. He is now expected to spend nearly three years in a brutal Russian labor colony.
Again, Trump himself hasn't even been charged.
People found the comparison ridiculous.
Donald J trump political prisoner is a hell of a takehttps://twitter.com/jannwolfe/status/1410748227029069832\u00a0\u2026— Molly Jong-Fast (@Molly Jong-Fast) 1625192363
Conservatives always compare normal things they dislike to the abnormal things they want to actually do.https://twitter.com/JanNWolfe/status/1410748227029069832\u00a0\u2026— Matthew Sheffield (@Matthew Sheffield) 1625231580
The criminal Trump empire continues to play the victim card.https://twitter.com/JanNWolfe/status/1410748227029069832\u00a0\u2026— Andrew Goss \ud83d\udc4aUSAF\ud83d\udc4a (@Andrew Goss \ud83d\udc4aUSAF\ud83d\udc4a) 1625233071
Liars are gonna lie; trapped rats are gonna squirm.https://twitter.com/jannwolfe/status/1410748227029069832\u00a0\u2026— Stolen Sceptre (@Stolen Sceptre) 1625230392
Don Jr. says this indictment is \u201cno different\u201d than the arrest of \u201cNavatny\u201d (he meant Navalny). Because we all know the world looks to Allen Weisselberg as a beacon of hope for democracy.https://twitter.com/jannwolfe/status/1410748227029069832\u00a0\u2026— Duty To Warn \ud83d\udd09 (@Duty To Warn \ud83d\udd09) 1625233869
They are losing it.https://twitter.com/JanNWolfe/status/1410748227029069832\u00a0\u2026— GreenHornet (@GreenHornet) 1625228961
They weren't sympathetic.
Cry me a river Don Jr.!https://twitter.com/JanNWolfe/status/1410748227029069832\u00a0\u2026— Linda \u270c (@Linda \u270c) 1625188098
The TRUTH is trump's a failed businessman who took office in 2016 with russian interference, lied about it, acted like a putin asset, lost re-election, contested it as asked to by russia in 2016, incited insurrection, and he's now ruling the GOP in exile just as putin would wanthttps://twitter.com/jannwolfe/status/1410748227029069832\u00a0\u2026— Luke Zaleski (@Luke Zaleski) 1625223027
Don Jr. is not the brightest bulb on the tree.https://twitter.com/jannwolfe/status/1410748227029069832\u00a0\u2026— DC Is Vaccinated (@DC Is Vaccinated) 1625215240
Trump Jr. is an executive of the Trump Organization, and could face charges if he knew of the tax fraud occurring within the company.
