Week In a Nutshell, 7/16/21

July 16, 2021 | Updated Feb 22 2023

Week In a Nutshell, 7/16/21

Pop music star and Disney actress Olivia Rodrigo makes a brief statement to reporters at the White House on July 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

By Jake Kaplan

Here are some of the legal news stories making headlines this week:

Reports indicate that Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg resigned from many leadership positions within the organization just days before his recent indictment on charges including an alleged 15-year tax fraud scheme.

Weisselberg has worked for the Trump family since 1973, starting out as a bookkeeper and ultimately rising to Chief Financial Officer of the Trump Organization.
Recently, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Weisselberg on 15 counts, which included grand larceny, tax fraud, and falsifying business records. Ten of the counts also charged entities of the Trump Organization.
This week, records revealed that Weisselberg no longer holds leadership positions in at least 54 Trump Organization subsidiaries. For example, Weisselberg was previously listed in Florida state records as treasurer, director, vice president, and secretary of the Trump Payroll Corporation (one of the indicted entities). But now, Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric Trump share those roles.
Legal experts suggest there are many reasons why an officer would leave leadership positions amid legal troubles. On one hand, for the business to continue to operate, insurers and lenders need to have faith in the company’s financial information. On the other hand, Dan Goldman posited on Twitter that it could be the Trump Organization’s defense strategy to distance itself from Weisselberg.
As of now, there is no indication that Weisselberg intends to leave the Trump Organization. According to a Washington Post source, “Allen Weisselberg’s at the company. He’s got a job. He’s going to remain at the company.”

And it was a busy week in Washington.

Texas House Democratic lawmakers arrived in Washington after fleeing Texas in an effort to block legislation that would put restrictions on voting. Separately, in a fiery speech about protecting the right to vote, President Joe Biden said, “Bullies and merchants of fear, peddlers of lies, are threatening the very foundation of our country.”
On Tuesday, Senate Budget Committee Democrats announced a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint to fund, among other things, efforts to address climate change and an expansion of Medicare benefits, which they plan to advance alongside the already-in-motion bipartisan infrastructure measure.
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced legislation to federally decriminalize marijuana.
Also on Wednesday, pop star Olivia Rodrigo visited the White House to encourage young people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.