Special Counsel Robert Mueller subpoenaed the Trump Organization business records, indicating he has an interest in President Trump’s behavior and relationships as a businessman. Here are five properties affiliated with the Trump Organization that Mueller will likely examine during his inquiry:
1. Trump Condos – Sunny Isles, Florida
Trump’s Sunny Isles properties consist of six buildings between Trump Towers Sunny Isles, Trump Grande, and Trump Royale. With expensive and grandiose complexes and a managing company that doesn’t ask many questions, these properties and others in south Florida are a magnet for wealthy Russian buyers. The zip code that includes these developments has one of the highest Russian-born populations in the country, earning it the name “Little Moscow.” According to The New Republic, at least 13 Russian buyers at Sunny Isles have been the targets of government investigations, and two were connected to a “massive international gambling and money-laundering syndicate.”
2. Trump SoHo, now “The Dominick” – New York City, New York
Donald Trump first announced the development of Trump SoHo on “The Apprentice,” stating that it would be an “awe-inspiring masterpiece” upon completion. Trump SoHo was largely financed by the Bayrock Group, a company led by executives from the former Soviet Union, including Tevfik Arif and Felix Sater. Sater has appeared multiple times in the context of the Russia probe, including his infamous reported attempt to facilitate a relationship between Trump and Russia well before the 2016 election. A broker that marketed Trump SoHo condos noted that because the building has a non-residential designation, the units are usually purchased in cash, making them ideal for wealthy Russian buyers. Eric Trump himself proclaimed, while marketing Trump SoHo, that “as the experience of the past few years shows, the best property buyers now are Russian.” In 2017, Trump SoHo was rebranded “The Dominick” after a drop in business.
3. Trump International Hotel & Tower – Panama City, Panama
Trump International Hotel & Tower made headlines in 2018 as the company that owns the majority of the building struggled to fire and remove Trump Organization managers amid falling profits. A standoff ensued, and the police were called to keep the peace between the two companies. After a court decision, the Trump name was removed from the building in March 2018.
This development’s problems are not limited to management, however, due to its various criminal tenants. The Trump International Hotel and Tower was reportedly used to launder illicit money from narcotics and human trafficking. A company in charge of selling units in the building employed several Russian nationals convicted for various crimes, including human trafficking and smuggling. According to Reuters, convicted money launderer David Murcia Guzman also owns 10 units in the tower. Trump managed the tower while money laundering occurred there, and even posed for a photo with two Russians accused of money laundering.
4. Mar-a-Lago Club – Palm Beach, Florida
Controversy swirls around Donald Trump’s posh Palm Beach club, where membership fees doubled once he took office in 2017. Incidents range from a government expenditure of over $1,000 for a hotel room to the State Department promoting the club on its official government website. Trump spends an unprecedented amount of time at his “Winter White House,” and reportedly polls his guests at Mar-a-Lago on various decisions he must make or issues that come to his attention. At least three senior Trump administration officials belong to the club, and one even agreed to donate thousands of dollars to a “Trumpettes USA” gala following his nomination as Ambassador to Barbados.
5. Trump International Hotel – Washington, D.C.
One of President Trump’s most glaring conflicts of interest is in his recently-completed Washington, D.C. hotel, currently the subject of multiple Emoluments lawsuits. Although Trump claims he has nothing to do with the hotel, he readily admits that it is a more valuable asset since he became president. In fact, the hotel charges 40% more for rooms than the area’s comparable hotels, despite low occupancy. Trump’s D.C. hotel is often the first choice for conservatives and diplomats visiting Washington; for instance, the Saudi Arabian Government paid the hotel $270,000 over three months on lodging and catering.
Trump Business Practices
Trump said he’d run the country like his businesses, but that doesn’t bode well for the country. Given the number of lawsuits, fines, unpaid workers, conflicts of interest, and other unethical and illegal business practices, how do we know who’s really making the decisions and what their goals are?