The Making of Donald Trump (27 page)
6
Trump appealed. Mitnick argued his case:
State of New York Division of Tax Appeals. In the Matter of the Petition of East 61st Street Company. Determination DTA NO. 811470.
7
“We did not” prepare that return, Mitnick testified:
State of New York Division of Tax Appeals. In the Matter of the Petition of East 61st Street Company. Determination DTA NO. 811470.
8
Tillman found no factual basis for Trump’s unsubstantiated deductions:
State of New York Division of Tax Appeals. In the Matter of the Petition of East 61st Street Company. Determination DTA NO. 811470.
9
Mitnick, again the sole witness for Trump:
State of New York Division of Tax Appeals. In the Matter of the Petition of East 61st Street Company. Determination DTA NO. 811470.
10
The year 1984 was not the last time Trump paid no income tax:
Shane Goldmacher, “Trump Appears to Have Paid No Taxes for Two Years in Early 1990s.”
Politico
, June 17, 2016.
www.politico.com/story/2016/06/donald-trump-no-taxes-224498
.
11
Let’s take Trump at his word to illustrate how the tax system works:
Kim Masters, “NBC Calls Donald Trump ‘Apprentice’ Salary Report ‘Grossly Inaccurate.’ ”
Hollywood Reporter
, June 22, 2011.
www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbc-calls-donald-trump-apprentice-204698
.
1
It, too, was mailed out of state:
William Bastone, “The Bulgari Sales Tax Scam.”
Village Voice
, November 25, 1986. Accessed June 20, 2016.
2
Bulgari had put an asterisk next to the name of every
customer who received an empty box:
Kirk Johnson, “Bulgari Pleads Guilty in a a Sales-Tax Scheme.”
New York Times
, December 6, 1986.
3
Trump was not the only customer named in the investigation:
UPI. “Celebrities Listed as Buyers in Sales Tax Evasion Case.”
Los Angeles Times
, November 20, 1986. Accessed June 16, 2016.
4
disclosures of the names of the customers under scrutiny:
Kirk Johnson, “Bulgari Pleads Guilty in a Sales-Tax Scheme.”
New York Times
, December 6, 1986.
5
The story was broken by William Bastone:
William Bastone, “The Bulgari Sales Tax Scam.”
Village Voice
, November 25, 1986. Accessed June 20, 2016.
6
The grand jury heard testimony regarding 202 instances:
“THE CITY; Bulgari Official Listed as Fugitive.”
New York Times
, August 9, 1985: n. pg.
New York Times
. Web. June 8, 2016.
7
Rubenstein said Trump had engaged only in “bona fide transactions”:
William Bastone, “The Bulgari Sales Tax Scam.”
Village Voice
, November 25, 1986. Accessed June 20, 2016.
8
Robert Abrams, who was then the New York state attorney general:
“THE CITY; Bulgari Official Listed as Fugitive.”
New York Times
, August 9, 1985: n. pg.
New York Times
. Web. June 8, 2016.
9
“We should embarrass them,” Koch said:
Kirk Johnson, “Bulgari Pleads Guilty in a Sales-Tax Scheme.”
New York Times
, December 6, 1986.
10
Khashoggi lost the boat when he could not pay his
creditors:
William C. Rempel, “Latest Financial Setback for Billionaire Saudi Arms Dealer: Sultan of Brunei Seizes Khashoggi Yacht.”
Los Angeles Times
, May 15, 1987: n. pag. Web. June 12, 2016.
11
He then leased the ship to himself so that he only had to pay sales taxes on the monthly lease payments:
AP. “Jersey Exempts Trump From Yacht Sales Tax.”
New York Times
, September 21, 1988: n. pag. Web. June 12, 2016.
12
Trump’s allies told
The New York Times
that he was about to sell the yacht for $110 million:
Richard D. Hylton, “Trump Is Reportedly Selling Yacht.”
New York Times
, May 11, 1990: n. pag. Web. June 6, 2016.
1
Michael Sexton, a management consultant and for-profit education entrepreneur:
“Sonny Low J. R. Everett, Et Al. vs Trump University.” June 22, 2016.
www.documentcloud.org/documents/2895623-Declaration-of-Jason-Forge-With-Exhibits.html
.
2
First, there was no “university”:
Nick Gass, “New York AG: Trump U ‘Really a Fraud from Beginning to End.’ ”
Politico
, June 2, 2016.
www.politico.com/story/2016/06/eric-schneiderman-trump-university-fraud-223812
.
3
no other address has as many unregistered stock brokerage firms:
Zeke Faux and Max Abelson, “Inside Trump’s Most Valuable Tower: Felons, Dictators and Girl Scouts.”
Bloomberg
, June 22, 2016.
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2016-trump-40-wall-street/
.
4
One week after Trump University declared itself:
“Sonny Low J.R. Everett, et al. vs Trump University, et al.” June 22, 2016.
www.documentcloud.org/documents/2895623-Declaration-of-Jason-Forge-With-Exhibits.html
.
5
The faux university also did not have professors:
Steven Brill, “What the Legal Battle Over Trump University Reveals About Its Founder.”
Time
, November 5, 2015.
6
Trump did not even honor his commitment to handpick the faculty:
“Sonny Low J.R. Everett, et al. vs Trump University, et al.”
7
It is worth noting that Trump’s memory seemed quite keen:
Katy Tur and Ali Vitali, “Amid Latest Controversy, Trump Claims ‘World’s Greatest Memory.’ ” NBC News, November 24, 2015.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/amid-latest-controversy-trump-claims-worlds-greatest-memory-n468621
.
8
when Jensen finally asked if Trumpcould name:
“Sonny Low J.R. Everett, et al. vs Trump University, et al.”
9
None of this was true either:
Lynn Walsh and J. W. August, “Transcripts of Donald Trump Depositions in Trump University Lawsuits Released.” NBC San Diego.
www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Transcripts-Of-Donald-Trump-Depositions-in-Trump-University-Lawsuits-Released-384157741.html
.
10
The testimony above all comes from a 2012 suit:
“Sonny Low J.R. Everett, et al. vs Trump University, et al.”
11
What it actually offered was a list that traced back to the
Scotsman Guide
: “A. G. Schneiderman Sues Donald Trump, Trump University & Michael Sexton For Defrauding Consumers Out of $40 Million with Sham ‘University.’ ” New York State Office of the Attorney General, August 25, 2013.
www.ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-sues-donald-trump-trump-university-michael-sexton-defrauding-consumers
.
12
Among the investigators’ findings was that students who attended:
Bill Chappell, “ ‘Trump University’ Documents Put on Display Aggressive Sales Techniques.” NPR, May 31, 2016.
www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/31/480214102/trump-university-playbooks-re-leased-by-court-advise-being-courteous-to-media
.
13
The consumer protection investigators also reported:
Patrick Svitek, “In Texas, Trump U Shut Down After State Scrutiny.”
Texas Tribune
, June 2, 2016.
14
We know about all this because John Owens:
Tom LoBianco and David Fitzpatrick, “Was Trump University Run Out of Texas or Let Go?” CNN, June 6, 2016.
www.cnn.com/2016/06/06/politics/texas-trump-university/
.
15
In 2013, three years after Berlin failed to persuade Abbott:
Brian M. Rosenthal and Gabrielle Banks, “Inside the Probe into Trump University That Abbott’s Office Launched and Then Ended.”
Houston Chronicle
, June 2, 2016.
16
Both Bondi (a lawyer) and Trump would have known:
Fred Grimm, “Donald Trump Buys Himself an Attorney General for $25,000.”
Miami Herald
, June 8, 2016.
17
In fact, on the last day of June 2016:
David Willman,
“FBI Interviews Hillary Clinton over Her Email Use While Secretary of State.”
Los Angeles Times
, July 6, 2016.
18
“Who would do this?” Trump demanded:
Louis Nelson, “Trump: Bill Clinton Meeting with Loretta Lynch ‘So Horrible.’ ”
Politico
, June 30, 2016.
www.politico.com/story/2016/06/trump-bill-clinton-loretta-lynch-meeting-224983
.
19
For both Trump and Bondi, the cashing of that check:
Greg Rohrer, “Lawyer Seeks Federal Bribery Charges against Bondi over Trump Donation.”
Orlando Sentinel
, June 29, 2016.
20
Allen Weisselberg:
David A. Fahrenthold and Rosiland S. Helderman, “Trump Camp Says $25,000 Charity Contribution to Florida AG Was a Mistake.”
Washington Post
, March 22, 2016.
21
The next day, Trump continued his attack on the judge’s heritage:
Alan Rappeport, “That Judge Attacked by Donald Trump? He’s Faced a Lot Worse.”
New York Times
, June 3, 2016.
22
The comments prompted the
National Review
: Ian Tuttle, “Trump’s Outrageous Attack on Judge Curiel.”
National Review
, June 6, 2016.
1
“I told them it would endanger our status as a charitable organization”:
David Cay Johnston, phone interview Keith Howard. June 10, 2016.
2
He was right:
Tim Mak, “Exclusive: Trump Tried to
Pay Vets to Be Props.”
Daily Beast
, February 6, 2016.
www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/06/nh-vets-pass-on-being-trump-s-paid-props.html
.
3
Eventually Liberty House did get the promised money:
Johnston, phone interview Howard. June 10, 2016.
4
During another campaign event in Iowa, less than two weeks:
Tim Mak, “Trump Vets Chair: Charity Money? Not My Problem.”
Daily Beast
, April 22, 2016.
www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/22/trump-vets-chair-charity-money-not-my-problem.html
.
5
Four months passed with no evidence that any money had been distributed:
Michael Bisecker, Jill Colvin, and Steven Peoples, “Big Trump Checks to Vets Groups Sent on Day of Media Report.” Associated Press, May 31, 2016.
bigstory.ap.org/article/44c48343f6244ea58768180a94d09429/trump-detail-fund-raising-veterans-charities
.
6
“The press should be ashamed of themselves,” Trump said:
Jeremy Diamond, “Trump Launches All-out Attack on the Press.” CNN, June 1, 2016.
www.cnn.com/2016/05/31/politics/donald-trump-veterans-announcement/
.
1
After the destruction of the Bonwit Teller building:
Robert D. McFadden, “Designer Astonished by Loss of Bonwitt Grillwork.”
New York Times
, June 8, 1980.
2
For years, Trump telephoned journalists using the name John Baron (or Barron):
David Cay Johnston,
“Trump Used His Aliases for Much More—And Worse—Than Gossip.”
The National Memo
, May 14, 2016. Accessed May 14, 2016.
www.nationalmemo.com/trump-used-aliases-much-more-worse-gossip/
.
3
He posed as a publicist, planting stories:
Tierney McAfee, “Donald Trump Denies He Masqueraded as His Own Publicist About Models, Madonna and Marla Maples.”
People
, May 13, 2016.
4
Then, using his own name, Trump confirmed what Baron had said:
UPI. “Trump Asks Help in Paying Flutie.”
New York Times
, April 2, 1985.
5
The deception began when Barron:
UPI. “Trump Asks Help in Paying Flutie.”
New York Times
, April 2, 1985.
6
For years, Trump planted stories:
vimeo.com/ondemand/trumpwhatsthedeal
. See also Johnston, “Trump Used His Aliases For Much More—And Worse—Than Gossip.”
7
Handros’s scathing 1991 film
,
Trump: What’s the Deal?
:
David Cay Johnston, “Trump:
Documentary the Donald Suppressed, Free at Last.”
The National Memo
, August 1, 2015. Accessed June 5, 2016.
www.nationalmemo.com/trump-documentary-the-donald-suppressed-free-at-last/
. See also
trumpthemovie.com/menu/#about
.
1
The unraveling of Trump’s John Miller deception began with:
Eun Kyung Kim, “Donald Trump Denies Posing as Spokesman in Recordings
Washington Post
Uncovered.”
Today News
, May 13, 2016. Accessed June 6,
2016.
www.today.com/news/donald-trump-denies-posing-spokesman-recordings-washington-post-uncovered-t92421
.
2
Sue Carswell, a reporter:
Sue Carswell, “Trump Says Goodbye Marla, Hello Carla and a Mysterious PR Man Who Sounds Just like Donald Calls to Spread the Story.”
People
, August 8, 1991.
