Trump Org. Lawyer Fumes Over ‘Unprecedented’ Prosecution: ‘Certain’ It Wouldn’t Be Happening if the Company Had a ‘Different Name’

Alan Futerfas, an attorney for Trump Organization, vented to reporters outside a Manhattan courthouse about the charges brought against the Trump family business on Thursday. The company was charged with fraud and tax crimes as part of what District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr.’s office says was a 15-year-long arrangement to compensate Allen Weisselberg off the books. Weisselberg, the company’s chief financial officer, was also charged. Prosecutors say he avoided paying taxes on $1.7 million in perks. Both the Trump Organization and Weisselberg pleaded not guilty.

Outside the courthouse, Futerfas suggested the charges are politically motivated and are designed to harm former president Donald Trump.

…Certainly, given the nature and the unprecedented nature of these charges, that certainly–that’s the reason they were brought, ok? If the name of the company was something else, I don’t think these charges would’ve been brought. In fact, I am fairly certain they would not have been brought if the name was a different name.

Convicted felon and former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen has alleged the Trump Organization fudged the company’s tax returns, and that “every single penny in and every penny out went through Allen Weisselberg’s desk and then [was] reported before and after to Donald J. Trump.”

Earlier in the press conference, Futerfas claimed that such tax fraud cases “are always resolved in a civil context.” He also brought up the 2008 financial crisis and the lack of criminal prosecutions by the district attorney’s Office against Manhattan-based financial institutions for their roles in the financial crisis.

“We did not see this office go after those firms and drag them into court, those companies into court,” said Futerfas. “And we’re talking about a trillion dollars in lost value to homeowners across the United States.”

Watch above via CNN.