The Trump Connection: 7 Associates Who Were Jailed
As the saying goes— you can judge a man by the company he keeps. Numerous associates from former president, Donald Trump ’s, presidential campaigns and his administration have been charged with crimes. Trump himself was convicted as a felon on May 30, for falsifying business records and election interference, marking a dark period in American democratic history. Here are seven individuals from Trump’s inner circle who have followed suit and have had run-ins with the law, some later receiving presidential pardons from Trump.
1. Allen Weisselberg
Allen Weisselberg, the former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer, has faced several legal challenges. After pleading guilty to two counts of perjury during Trump’s civil fraud trial, Weisselerg was sentenced to five months in New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex. This sentence followed an earlier five-month term for his involvement in Trump’s tax fraud scheme, although he served only 100 days. Jeremy Saland, a criminal defense attorney said, “If it’s large enough, it bolsters their case. If it’s insignificant, I don’t know that I’d go down that road so much, because how are you corroborating that there was this cash transaction? It’s much easier to say he leased this apartment because you can go look at records and speak to people about who was living there. But there’s going to be no record of a cash transaction. Why give the organization or Donald Trump the ability to separate that or make that an issue? If it’s overwhelming and you have good evidence of it, then it’s consistent with [the] theory [of the company playing] fast and loose.”
2. George Nader
George Nader, an informal adviser to the Trump administration on Middle Eastern affairs, also faced severe legal troubles. Nadar was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Virginia federal judge after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography and bringing a boy from the Czech Republic to his Washington home in 2000. Nader also pleaded guilty to “felony conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government” for helping the UAE funnel millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions into the U.S. political system during the 2016 presidential election.
3. George Papadopoulos
George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign adviser, served 14 days in a federal prison camp in Oxford, Wisconsin, in 2018 after pleading guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with individuals tied to Russia . During his sentencing, he said, “I made a terrible mistake. In hindsight, lying to federal agents about such a critical issue could have harmed our nation.” The night before he was to report to prison, he tweeted, “The truth will all be out. Not even a prison sentence can stop that momentum. The wool isn’t going to be pulled over America’s eyes forever. Much love.”
4. Michael Cohen
As per CNN , Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, faced legal repercussions in 2018. Cohen pleaded guilty to several crimes, including campaign finance violations related to hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, who alleged affairs with Trump. During his testimony, Cohen said, “I recognize that some of you may doubt and attack me on my credibility. It is for this reason that I have incorporated into this opening statement documents that are irrefutable, and demonstrate that the information you will hear is accurate and truthful. Never in a million years did I imagine, when I accepted a job in 2007 to work for Donald Trump, that he would one day run for President, launch a campaign on a platform of hate and intolerance, and win. I regret the day I said ‘yes’ to Mr. Trump. I regret all the help and support I gave him along the way. I am ashamed of my failings, and I publicly accepted responsibility for them by pleading guilty in the Southern District of New York. I am ashamed of my weakness and misplaced loyalty – of the things I did for Mr. Trump to protect and promote him. I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump’s illicit acts rather than listening to my conscience. I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist. He is a con man. He is a cheat…”
5. Paul Manafort
Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for bank and tax fraud crimes. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the U.S. and conspiracy to obstruct justice by trying to tamper with witnesses. Despite receiving a pardon from Trump in December 2020, Manafort’s brief prison stint underscored the pervasive corruption that followed Trump’s campaign. Trump remarked, “I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family. ‘Justice’ took a 12-year-old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to ‘break’ i.e., make up stories to get a ‘deal.’ Such respect for a brave man!”
6. Peter Navarro
As per OK! Magazine , Peter Navarro, a senior adviser to Trump, had to serve a four-month prison sentence after refusing to comply with a House Select Committee subpoena during the probe into the January 6 Capitol attack. His lawyers exclaimed, “The prosecution of a senior presidential advisor asserting executive privilege conflicts with the constitutional independence required by the doctrine of separation of powers. Not once before Dr. Navarro’s prosecution has the Department of Justice concluded a senior presidential advisor may be prosecuted for contempt of Congress following an assertion of executive privilege.”
7. Steve Bannon
Steve Bannon, former Trump White House Chief Strategist, faced charges of fraud related to a fundraising scam aimed at building Trump’s signature wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Bannon and his co-conspirators were accused of lying to donors and misappropriating funds through sham invoices and accounts. Trump pardoned Bannon before he could serve prison time for these federal charges, but this pardon did not cover state crimes, leaving Bannon facing potential jail time for state-level offenses. Philip Bartlett, the inspector in charge of the New York field office, said, “As alleged, not only did they lie to donors, they schemed to hide their misappropriation of funds by creating sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and cover up their crimes, showing no regard for the law or the truth.”