FACT CHECK: Was Donald Trump Cleared Of All Charges In The New York Tax Investigation?
A post shared on Facebook claims former President Donald Trump has been cleared of all charges related to the “New York tax cases.”
Verdict: False
While Trump’s family-owned business the Trump Organization is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation in New York, Trump himself has so far neither been indicted nor cleared of any criminal charges related to the investigation.
Fact Check:
The Trump Organization and Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg were indicted on charges of tax fraud by New York state officials on June 1, according to the Associated Press. The indictments are part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the Trump Organization and its tax practices being conducted jointly by the New York attorney general’s office and the Manhattan district attorney, The New York Times reported. Some journalists and pundits have speculated that the investigation may lead to Trump himself being indicted.
One post shared on Facebook, however, claims Trump was recently “cleared” of all charges related to the case. “Wow, great news,” reads the post.”Trump cleared of all charges in New York tax cases.” (RELATED: Did Donald Trump Release A Statement Calling Tom Brady ‘Shady’?)
This claim is inaccurate. In order for Trump to clear any charges against him in connection to the investigation, he would first need to have been charged with a crime. Trump has not been charged with any crime in relation to the investigation, as of yet, according to The New York Times.
Had Trump been officially charged with a crime in connection to the investigation, it would have been widely reported by major media outlets, yet no such reporting could be found. Check Your Fact searched press releases from the New York attorney general’s office and the Manhattan district attorney’s office but likewise found nothing about Trump being charged or cleared.
A similar iteration of the claim appeared in the title of a YouTube video that reads, “Trump cleared all CHARGES in ‘NY tax’ case with C.uomo’s help… Cuomo says ‘Biden is behind all.'” Check Your Fact reviewed the video but found no evidence in it to corroborate the title’s claim.