Pence to fundraise for Louisana AG
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.
Pence to headline Louisiana AG's fundraiser
Last week Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog involved in two emoluments cases against President Trump, reported Vice President Mike Pence stopped by Trump properties 11 times last year.
This year, he’s on pace to surpass that total, having already been there once and with another appearance scheduled. Yesterday Nick Surgey of Documented reported,
Jeff Landry, the Louisiana Attorney General, and a prominent supporter of President Trump’s southern border wall strategy, is to hold a D.C. fundraiser at the Trump International Hotel on January 30th, according to a copy of the event invitation obtained by Documented.
According to the invitation, Vice President Mike Pence is to be a special guest at the event.
Landry also held a fundraiser at the hotel in March 2018.
Last week 1100 Pennsylvania reported that Pence had been a surprise guest at black-tie, pro-life Save the Storks Ball in the hotel’s ball room.
Major Trump Org lender receives inquiries from two U.S. House committees
From “Deutsche Bank queried by U.S. House panels on Trump ties” by Reuters:
Deutsche Bank AG has received an inquiry from two U.S. House of Representatives committees on the lender’s ties to President Donald Trump, it said on Thursday…
“The House Financial Services and Intelligence Committees are engaged in productive discussions with Deutsche Bank, and look forward to continued cooperation,’ said Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and Financial Services Committee Chairman Maxine Waters.
Deutsche Bank A, of course, loaned the Trump Organization $170 million to finance the D.C. hotel.
Rep. Titus elected subcommittee chair, singles out D.C. hotel in post-election comments
Yesterday’s 1100 Pennsylvania reported that Rep. Dina Titus (D–NV) may have hurt the Trump Organization’s bottom line when she appeared at the hotel last May to accept an award from a group lobbying on behalf of a foreign country.
Shortly after 1100 Pennsylvania was published, Titus, as expected, was elected chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. This subcommittee oversees the GSA, holder of the Trump Hotel D.C.’s lease.
Titus’s post-election statement makes clear her priorities—it has three sentences, one of which is devoted to the president’s hotel:
I am honored that my colleagues elected me to serve as chair of this vital subcommittee with authority over issues of great importance for Nevada and the nation. From helping Nevada’s communities better respond to natural disasters and addressing the devastating impacts of climate change, to fighting for infrastructure projects that will benefit our most vulnerable neighbors, I am ready to get to work. Of course, I will try to get the answers the American people deserve by conducting oversight of Donald Trump’s attempts to prevent the relocation of the F.B.I headquarters and to profit from his presidency at his D.C. hotel.”
And according to Huffington Post, “The subcommittee will seek all communications between the GSA and Trump, his family members, his employees, his presidential transition team and the White House.”
Director of transient sales’ LinkedIn profile URL drops ‘trumphotel’
The Trump Hotel D.C.’s director of transient sales, Heidi Kirby, recently revised her LinkedIn profile’s URL, removing “trumphotel.” The URL for her account use to be linkedin.com/in/hkirbytrumphoteldc/; it’s now linkedin.com/in/heidikirbydc/.
Kirby did not respond to an email asking why she changed the URL.
Why Kirby matters: up until April 2018, her title was director of transient and diplomatic sales. The diplomatic part was deleted from her LinkedIn profile four days after a tweet got traction that pointed out her title’s discrepancy with Eric Trump’s statement that his hotels do not want or seek foreign business. (A revised title on a LinkedIn profile, of course, does not mean a change in actual job duties.)
Managing director sips champagne, complains about media coverage
Yesterday, with government employees in a food line down the street, staffers at the president’s hotel celebrated themselves with a champagne toast. “in #america Hard work always pays off,” wrote the hotel’s managing director, Mickael Damelincourt.
Three hours later, Damelincourt apparently decided his team’s hard work was not in fact paying off, at least in terms of press coverage. So, channeling his boss, he criticized the media on Twitter even punctuating his tweet with a “sad.” (Yesterday’s 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, of course, reported the news.)
Questions?
I’m thinking of doing a Q&A on the Trump Hotel D.C. in an upcoming issue. Have a question? Email is z_everson@protonmail.com. Thanks.
Noteworthy sightings
NRA board of directors candidate Willes Lee’s campaign is using a photo of him at the Trump Hotel D.C., posing with policy advisor for the pro-Trump nonprofit America First Policies, Martha Boneta. The photo appears to be from July 2018, when they were together at the hotel—along with Rep. Jim Jordan (R–OH).
With hotel employees talking anonymously to The Washington Post, for the second time recently the hotel’s managing director Mickael Damelincourt publicly praised a staffer’s loyalty. Yesterday it was the new director of banquets. (His predecessor, by the way, left to take a job at the White House executive residences.)
Fox News’s Gina Loudon, who falsely claims to have a PhD in psychology, is holding a book party at Mar-a-Lago this evening. Two of her three book parties will have been at Trump properties. President Trump has tweeted praise for her book.
House investigations, current status (latest change, Jan. 25, 2019)
The investigations into Trump’s businesses that Democrats promised upon taking control of the House are gearing up. So, each issue of 1100 Pennsylvania now will feature a list of the investigations and their current status. If you know of one that I missed, please email me at z_everson@protonmail.com.
Financial Services—Sent an inquiry to Deutsche Bank AG on its ties to Trump, according to the bank on Jan. 24.
Foreign Affairs—Chair Elliot Engel (D–NY) “plans to investigate whether President Donald Trump’s businesses are driving foreign policy decisions, including whether Trump violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution in the process” per CNN on Jan 23.
Intelligence—Sent an inquiry to Deutsche Bank AG on its ties to Trump, according to the bank on Jan. 24.
Oversight and Reform—Chair Elijah Cummings’s (D–MD) staff “has already sent out 51 letters to government officials, the White House, and the Trump Organization asking for documents related to investigations that the committee may launch,” according to CBS News on Jan. 13.
Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management—Chair Dina Titus (D–NV) announced plans to investigate “Donald Trump’s attempts to prevent the relocation of the F.B.I headquarters and to profit from his presidency at his D.C. hotel” on Jan. 24.
Legal cases, current status (latest change, Jan. 11, 2019)
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
“Ex-Trump fixer Michael Cohen subpoenaed by Senate committee, lawyer says” by Robert Costa and Karoun Demirjian for The Washington Post
One thing that has nothing to do with Trump’s businesses (I think, tough to tell sometimes!)
Rep. Clay Higgins (R–LA) has a rather interesting Twitter header pic.
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.