Donald Trump has been protected for all of his seven decades. First, he was insulated by his daddy’s money. Then, he became a celebrity on The Apprentice, and that celebrity further protected him from his actions. Finally, he became president. With the power of the presidency, he has become like something out of the Japanese 1953 monster film, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.
The House of Representatives does not need to impeach the president at this point, but its members do need to get on the ball. Otherwise, they will appear weak, and that just gives Trump further fuel to attack. For now, they can hold Trump criminal hearings. That should appease both the more progressive Democrats and the more conservative ones. He is up to his eyeballs in misdeeds. Here is just one example.
A majority owner of a hotel in Panama that licensed the Trump name Orestes Fintiklis went to court this week. He claimed that POTUS’s company evaded Panama taxes by “misrepresenting finances of the building,” according to the Associated Press (AP).
Fintiklis has filed a lawsuit in a New York federal court He claimed that the commander-in-chief’s private hotel management business:
‘(E)vaded income and social security taxes when it managed the former Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower.’
The two men have long been battling over the “70-story seaside sail-shaped building.” Fintiklis claimed that the Trump organization cooked the books over the employees’ and others’ salaries. It also cut social security taxes, all in order to reduce the amount the president had to give the man. Fintiklis’ lawsuit did not show the amount of taxes Trump’s company actually owed.
Of course, Trump’s company argued otherwise. However, this would not have been unusual given the president’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen’s testimony before Congress. The attorney stated that Trump basically had two sets of books. One showed a low income for instances such as cheating Fintiklis and paying fewer taxes. The other set of books showed billions more so that POTUS could look good in The Forbes Magazine’s richest people in the country list.
The Trump Organization spokesperson said in an email:
‘To the extent any taxes were to be withheld, it was the responsibility of the condominium that owns the hotel. The Trump Organization’s only role was to manage the property. We look forward to taking the depositions of Mr. Fintiklis’ and his partners and unmasking their fraud.’
Fintiklis filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) after Panamanian judicial officials ruled in his favor. Several months later, he took the Trump name off of his building and gave the building management contract to U.S. Marriott International.
His issue with Trump began when Fintiklis’ company Ithaca Capital Group took over “202 of the hotel’s condos” in October 2017. He claimed that he had uncovered:
‘(G)ross negligence and potentially fraudulent conduct, including ‘looted’ bank accounts.’
When he wanted to end the 20-year management agreement with Trump’s company, The Trump Organization claimed that the contract termination was “illegitimate.” The president’s company refused to release Fintiklis from its contract. Now, Fintiklis is in court.
