The company’s sales representative, Jeffrey Davis of JLL, confirmed to The Washington Post that the proposed sale of Trump’s lease to the federally owned Old Post Office Pavilion has been set aside as the industry recovers.

Trump doesn’t own the building, the building itself still belongs to the federal government. The Trump organization leased it (also illegal, but laws don’t matter), and owns the business running the hotel. It seems like they intended to get out of the actual hotel business the moment they could, and simply stay as the “brand,” though even that has to be losing value, too.

Now watch very very closely:

The $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill signed by Trump last week contained a provision pressed by Democrats that prohibits Trump’s company from benefiting from a $450 billion pool of Treasury department loans and investments. That pot of money is intended to keep struggling businesses afloat during the pandemic, but the company is eligible to benefit from tax changes as well as support its tenant partners receive.

So under the law, the company can get some government tax assistance, but can’t get its mitts on that $450 billion because the Trump’s own it.

Or can it?

Remember Trump’s signing statement? Congress appointed an inspector general to oversee the fund, but Trump asserted no inspector general could go around Trump and straight to congress, even though that is exactly what I.G.s are supposed to do?

What if – with Trump believing he can stop any I.G. – the Trump family found a way to set up a pure shell company, say – an LLC owned by Princess Ivanka’s college roommate, who is now a dog veterinarian in Rochester? We will call her roommate “Emma” for our purposes. And suddenly a newly-formed LLC, wholly owned by “Emma” (e viola!) owns the Trump International Hotel in D.C., and is thus eligible for the emergency funding. It gets $400 million because it is “such an iconic building and business” and is needed, to “keep it going” as a national “monument” (unofficial).

Any inspector general would know immediately what is going on and report it to Congress. But Trump thinks the I.G. must report to him and Trump decided it was all “legal”?

This would all occur on the mutual understanding that “Emma” doesn’t actually own a thing, she is just holding it, until she transfers it back, pocketing $2 million for her troubles.

On paper, it is entirely legal, so Trump has that to assert. The asset was transferred to an entity not owned by anyone in the Trump family, thus it is eligible under the law. In reality, it is all bullshit and everyone knows it.

Can they get away with it? Maybe. Inspector’s general, prosecutors and judges aren’t dumb, nor are competing businesses, and if they see an obvious “go around” they can sue for fraud, or the government can even charge them with criminal fraud – especially when and if “Emma” goes to give the asset back to the Trumps.

One thing we know. The Trumps are not going to sit there and watch money be given out to company after company and see their own fortune go down the shitter just because Congress passed some stupid law. We also know that Emma isn’t going to even consider just saying; “Actually, I kind of like the place and am going to keep it, thanks!” because she knows she’d get some polonium stew soon enough.

Watch that signing statement, watch who is appointed I.G., watch Mnuchin, and damn well watch “Emma.”

****

Peace, y’all

Jason

[email protected] and on Twitter @MiciakZoom