Judge tells GSA to look harder for FBI HQ docs
Welcome to 1100 Pennsylvania, a newsletter devoted to President Donald Trump’s Trump Hotel International Washington, D.C. (and his other companies). President Trump, of course, still owns his businesses and can profit from them.
If you like what you see, tell someone. If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, subscribe for yourself at zacheverson.substack.com. Tips or feedback? Contact me, Zach Everson, securely via email at 1100Pennsylvania@protonmail.com or on Signal at 202.804.2744.
Judge tells GSA to look harder for FBI HQ docs
From “GSA must do ‘more comprehensive search’ for FBI HQ records under FOIA lawsuit” by Jory Heckman for Federal News Network:
The General Services Administration must conduct “a more comprehensive” search of records it has on the FBI headquarters in Washington, a District Court judge ruled Monday, after a watchdog group [Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)] filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit…
The FOIA request, first filed in July 2017, stems from the Trump administration’s decision last year to scrap the FBI’s plans to move to a consolidated campus in suburban Virginia or Maryland.
For the uninitiated, here’s why this ruling is in a newsletter about the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C.: The FBI’s current headquarters is diagonally across Pennsylvania Avenue from the hotel, a six-minute walk (per Apple Maps).
If the FBI HQ were moved, GSA could seek proposals to redevelop the site—possibly with it ending up as a luxury hotel. That is, competition for the president’s hotel. Hence the curiosity about why the Trump administration got involved in this issue.
Fun fact: the Trump Hotel D.C.’s managing director often promotes the property as the only five star hotel in downtown DC—a distinction it could lose if the FBI HQ stayed put.
The curious case of The Spa by Ivanka Trump’s Instagram accounts continues
Yesterday’s 1100 Pennsylvania noted the debut of two seemingly new Instagram accounts to promote The Spa by Ivanka Trump in the D.C. and Vancouver hotels. Ivanka, of course, has taken a leave of absence from the Trump Org to work in the White House as an advisor to the president, her father and fellow hotel co-owner.
While the Trump Org has not yet responded to my questions asking to verify the D.C. Instagram account’s authenticity and, if it is legit, why they chose to start promoting the spa by name now and if doing so means that Ivanka’s increasing her involvement in the business, the D.C. Instagram account’s sole post appears to have been deleted.
Noteworthy sightings
North Dakota State Rep. Jake Blum (R) met with the director of content for Targeted Victory, a political strategy and marketing firm.
DC-area photographer Nikzart held a boudoir photo shoot with a model identified as Uli in what he says is the president’s hotel. It’s a claim that the furniture in the background seems to confirm.
One of Nikzart’s pics (well, part of it anyway):
From the Trump Hotel D.C.’s website (note the headboard):
New campaign expenditures
The Miller Spano Webber Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee for three Republican Congressional challengers (Carol Miller from West Virginia, Florida’s Ross Spano, and New Jersey’s Jay Webber) spent $39,591 to hold a fundrasier at the D.C. hotel in October—that President Donald J. Trump attended. [H/T CREW’s Walker Davis]
For $10,000, donors could get their picture taken with the president/innkeeper and for $20,000, they could participate in a round table with him.
Miller and Spano won their elections, Webber did not.
Newly elected Congressman from Indiana Greg Pence’s (R) campaign spent another $775.13 at brother’s boss’s hotel last month, bringing its total disbursed at Trump properties to $22,924.80. And while the calculator is out, Greg’s campaign and Mike’s Great America Committee PAC have spent a combined $147,511 at the president’s businesses.
Legal cases, current status (latest change, Dec. 20, 2018)
DC and MD attorneys general’s emoluments lawsuit—Discovery started Dec. 3 and is scheduled to run through Aug. 2, 2019. So far the AGs have subpoenaed the Trump Organization; the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, and Treasury and the GSA; and the state of Maine.
Official capacity—On Nov. 30, Trump’s Justice Department attorneys asked the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for a stay pending their appeal.
UPDATED: Individual capacity—On Dec. 14, Trump’s personal attorneys appealed the denial of their motion to dismiss the case, also to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. On Dec. 19, the AGs replied to Trump’s motion for a stay pending that appeal by voluntarily dismissing the claims against Trump in his “individual capacity to allow the claims against President Trump in his official capacity to move forward expeditiously.” (The AGs only brought suit against Trump in his individual capacity after the judge suggested they do so.)
196 Democratic senators and representatives’ emoluments lawsuit—On Sept. 28 judge Emmet G. Sullivan ruled that the legislators have standing to sue. Trump’s Justice Department attorneys filed an interlocutory appeal on Oct. 22.
CREW et. al’s emoluments lawsuit—In February, CREW appealed its suit being dismissed for lack of standing to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral arguments on that motion were held on Oct. 30.
Cork’s unfair competition lawsuit—Judge Richard J. Leon dismissed the case on Nov. 26, writing “Cork has failed to state a claim for unfair competition under D.C. law.” On Dec. 10, Cork’s attorneys filed a notice of appeal.
Employees’ class-action suit alleging racial discrimination—A status hearing on arbitration is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2019.
Health inspections, current status (latest change, Aug. 10, 2018)
❌Hotel: five violations on May 7, 2018; two were corrected on site
❌BLT Prime and Benjamin Bar: nine violations on Aug. 10, 2018
❌Sushi Nakazawa: two violations on Aug. 10, 2018
✔️Banquet kitchen: no violations on Aug. 10, 2018
❌Pastry kitchen: two violations on Aug. 10, 2018
✔️Gift shop: no violations on May 7, 2018
❌Employee kitchen and in-room dining: five violations on Aug. 10, 2018; two were corrected on site
Other Trump Organization news
“Trump testimony from decades ago indicates knowledge of campaign-finance laws”—and it involved a Federal Election Commission investigation into allegations about Trump Hotels & Casinos. By Rebecca Ballhaus and Joe Palazzolo for The Wall Street Journal.
“The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved the design for a dock at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, but not before some pushback from a neighbor’s attorney.” By Ian Cohen for Palm Beach Daily News.
In addition the video yesterday’s 1100 Pennsylvania mentioned, there’s also this spiffy flyer promoting space for lease at Trump Tower (via The Washington Post’s Jonathan O’Connell)
“Going after the Trump Organization, if facts warrant, should be an arrow in [Robert] Mueller’s quiver” suggests The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin
One thing that has nothing to do with Trump’s businesses (I think, tough to tell sometimes!)
“The Fresno Bee and the War on Local News” by Zach Baron for GQ
Thanks for reading. If you like what you saw, tell someone. If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, subscribe for yourself at zacheverson.substack.com. Tips or feedback? Contact me, Zach Everson, securely via email at 1100Pennsylvania@protonmail.com or on Signal at 202.804.2744.