New details emerge about Nigerian, Italian pols' visits
New details emerge about Nigerian, Italian pols' visits
Welcome to 1100 Pennsylvania, a newsletter devoted to President Donald Trump’s Trump International Hotel 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—and support this work by paying for a subscription. If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, subscribe for yourself at zacheverson.substack.com. Questions? Read our FAQ/manifesto. Tips or feedback? Contact me, Zach Everson, securely via email at 1100Pennsylvania@protonmail.com or on Signal at 202.804.2744.
Nigerian presidential candidate holds town hall at U.S. president’s hotel
This Friday, one month before Nigeria’s presidential election, the main opposition candidate held a town hall meeting at the U.S. president’s D.C. hotel (which is not in Nigeria).
1100 Pennsylvania previously reported that Atiku Abubakar was staying at the Trump Hotel D.C. What’s new here is that the following day it also was the site of a town-hall meeting for Nigerian diaspora and members of his party, which was live-streamed. (According to remarks Abubakar made at the town hall, Nigerian law does not allow for diaspora to vote.)
Based on photos shared on Abubakar’s verified Twitter account, about 50 people attended, many of whom recorded or photographed it.
During the town hall, which a protestor briefly interrupted, Abubakar discussed the economy, corruption, and his hopes to expand voting rights to the diaspora. He did not mention the event’s location.
It appears Abubakar held additional meetings with Nigerian diaspora at the Trump Hotel D.C., based on his Twitter account sharing this photo before the town hall.
Abubakar had been denied access to the United States for 12 years, per The Guardian Nigeria. And according to social-media posts, Abubakar’s eligibility to enter the United States is an issue in the campaign. Jedd Legrum’s Popular Information newsletter took a deep look today at the corruption allegations surrounding Abubakar and why he may have been allowed back into the United States. Executive summary: “In November, Abubakar hired a key member of Trump’s political operation with a $1.1 million per year lobbying contract.”
It’s not hard to see how a trip to the U.S. president’s Pennsylvania Avenue hotel could help Abubakar’s candidacy.
Additionally, while it was previously reported that Nigerian senator Ben Murray-Bruce accompanied Abubakar on his trip, it wasn’t clear if he too was at the Trump Hotel D.C. Now we know.
Italian deputy minister of foreign affairs meets Trump’s personal advisors at Trump’s hotel
Italian deputy minister for foreign affairs, Guglielmo Picchi, chatted with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski at BLT Prime last week. As 1100 Pennsylvania reported previously, Picchi also met at the hotel with Rudy Giuliani. (Based on Picchi wearing the same clothes in both pictures, either these meetings occurred on the same day or he packs light.)
In response to an inquiry sent through Picchi’s website, an email signed Staff stated that
The Trump Hotel was chosen for that meeting for purely logistical reasons. Anyway Mr. Picchi didn’t stay at the Hotel. Please consider that the recent journey in America was a private trip: consequently, Mr. Picchi did not spend any government or public funds for it or during it.
And while Picchi’s Twitter account showed him appearing to conduct plenty of Italian government business while in the United States, in a follow-up exchange, Staff further explained that Picchi funded his trip by himself and “wasn’t on a visit ordered or funded by the Italian MoFA [Ministry of Foreign Affairs] nor by other public institutions.”
The Italian embassy has not responded to an email, sent at the same time as the initial message via Picchi’s website, asking if the government paid for Picchi’s trip and how the hotel was chosen for a meeting venue.
Here’s what else Picchi was up to in while in the United States on his privately funded trip:
The Italian embassy in the United States’ verified Twitter account reports Picchi met with his country’s U.S. ambassador and was “in Washington DC to promote #Italy-US relations.”
Picchi met on Capitol Hill with Sen. Roger Wicker (R–MS).
Picchi and Giuliani discussed “zero tolerance”.
Picchi appeared on Fox Business to share his country’s official position on Brexit.
Picchi visited Lockheed Martin to discuss business cooperation between Italy and the United States.
Women’s March pays a visit
The 2019 Women’s March went past the barricaded Trump Hotel D.C. on Pennsylvania Avenue Saturday, leaving in its social-media wake photos of military-grade equipment, large crowds, middle fingers, and protest-signs–cum-litter.
Hotel plays audio of owner’s immigration speech in lobby bar
For the second time in two weeks, the Trump Hotel D.C. killed the music in its lobby bar to air the audio of its owner’s speech on immigration.
President Trump’s tweets beg questions about Trump Org’s business practices
If “a contract is a contract,” why did Trump Hotel D.C. contractors have to file millions in liens against the Trump Org for allegedly unpaid work?
And Sunday, 9:20 a.m.:
How has the Trump Org financed construction “when money is not readily available”? (Or does that explain why so many Trump Hotel D.C. contractors filed liens against him?)
Noteworthy sightings
Lewandowski also was at the hotel on Jan. 7.
Former Breitbart London editor-in-chief and current ally of Nigel Farage and Steve Bannon, Raheem Kassam, dined at BLT Prime with singer and Trump supporter Joy Villa.
FDIC government information specialist, Alisa Colgrove, enjoyed Cabot Cheese.
And her dining companion has been there a few times and always finds Trump Hotel D.C. patrons who also are President Trump supporters.
Far-right media personalty, formerly of Infowars, Joe Biggs, boasted that he’s at the Trump Hotel D.C. bar so often its become his Cheers. Cool.
And here’s Biggs there on Friday with Sputnik radio host Lee Stranahan, mentioned in Robert Mueller’s indictment of 12 Russian military officers.
Meanwhile at Mar-a-Lago, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale keynoted The Wall Street Conference at Trump’s private club.
New campaign expenditure
The Beehive PAC, affiliated with former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R–UT), spent $2,881.28 on Dec. 6–7, 2018 for lodging.
Legal cases, current status (latest change, Jan. 11, 2018)
D.C. and MD attorneys general’s emoluments lawsuit (district court docket, appellate court docket)—
Official capacity—On Dec. 20, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it would hear the president’s appeal of district court rulings that allowed the case to proceed to discovery, and the appellate court halted discovery in the case. Oral augments on the appeal are tentatively scheduled for March 19–21, although on Dec. 26 the briefing schedule was suspended until further notice after Trump’s DoJ attorneys asked for a stay because of the federal government shutdown. (Discovery had started Dec. 3 and was scheduled to run through Aug. 2, 2019, with the AGs already having issued 38 subpoenas, including to the Trump Organization; the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, and Treasury and the GSA; and the state of Maine.)
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.) Trump’s personal attorneys, on Dec. 21, opposed the motion to dismiss at the district level, saying the appeals court now has jurisdiction and accusing the AGs of “gamesmanship.”
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 and on Jan. 10 they submitted a statement of issues to be raised. The next steps, which don’t yet have a timeline, include a briefing schedule being set and both sides filing appellate briefs.
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
“Giuliani: Trump Tower Moscow negotiations ‘as far as October, November’ 2016” on NBC’s Meet the Press
“Michael Cohen reportedly admitted his talks with Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. about the Trump Tower Moscow deal were far more detailed than previously known” by David Choi for Business Insider
“Giuliani says Trump might have talked to Cohen about testimony” by Eli Watkins for CNN
“Cohen threatened CNBC that Trump would sue after 2014 poll disappointment” by Joe Palazzolo, Michael Siconolfi and Michael Rothfeld for The Wall Street Journal
“In business and governing, Trump seeks victory in chaos” by Russ Buettner and Maggie Haberman for The New York Times
“Palm Beach used to be a nice town for billionaires. Then Trump came along.” By Roxanne Roberts for The Washington Post.
A Trump wine won an award and you can buy the wine online.
One thing that has nothing to do with Trump’s businesses (I think, tough to tell sometimes!)
“The French burglar who pulled off his generation’s biggest art heist” by Jake Hapern for The New Yorker
Thanks for reading. If you like what you saw, tell someone—and support this work by paying for a subscription. If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, subscribe for yourself at zacheverson.substack.com. Questions? Read our FAQ/manifesto. Tips or feedback? Contact me, Zach Everson, securely via email at 1100Pennsylvania@protonmail.com or on Signal at 202.804.2744.