Sen. Cotton was featured guest at Army ball

Feb 15, 2019

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 becoming a paying member ($5/month or $50/year). 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.

Sen. Tom Cotton was the featured speaker at the Old Guard’s ball

More photos of the Army’s 3rd U.S. infantry regiment’s fourth battalion’s annual ball—held last Thursday at commander-in-chief Donald Trump’s D.C. hotel— have turned up online [h/t Twitter user @jimmyfcampbell]. Posted to the battalion’s Facebook page, they show Sen. Tom Cotton (R–AR) and battalion commander LTC Jeffery Burroughs addressing the troops from behind a Trump Hotels-branded lectern. The regiment’s Facebook page described Cotton as a guest speaker at the event.

Details of the ball were first reported in last Friday’s 1100 Pennsylvania. Executive summary:

a battalion spokesperson said no government funds were spent at the hotel
soldiers paid for their tickets themselves
tickets cost $80 each and 356 were sold
President Trump, of course, still owns the hotel and can profit from it—meaning money from soldiers in the U.S. Army could have gone right to the top of the military’s chain of command

Noteworthy sightings

In D.C. for meetings, including with former Secretary of Education and Drug Czar William Bennett, the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association’s chair, the chair of its government affairs committee, and another board member stayed at the Trump Hotel D.C. The NDASA held its National Conference's board of directors meeting at the hotel last April too.

Other Trump Organization news

“In the early months of the Trump administration, with the president no longer running his family business, his eldest sons embarked on a plan to roll out two new hotel lines in dozens of American cities. It reflected the ambitions of ‘the next generation of the company,’ President Trump’s son Eric said at the time. Now, in a striking reversal, the Trump Organization is no longer pursuing the signature initiative, according to company officials.” By Steve Eder, Ben Protess and Eric Lipton for The New York Times.
“Operating losses at the Trump Doonbeg resort in Co Clare narrowed sharply to around €100,000 in 2018 as revenues increased in the ‘best year’ to date for the resort.” By Gordon Deegan for The Irish Times.
After declaring a national emergency today, President Trump is leaving D.C. for Mar-a-Lago.
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearing for Michael Park to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit got heated earlier this week. Park is a partner at Consovoy McCarthy Park, which “represents Trump in a lawsuit accusing him of unconstitutionally accepting gifts and so-called emoluments from foreign and domestic officials who patronize his Washington, D.C., hotel.” By Ellis Kim for New York Law Journal.
Jean-Georges in the Trump International Hotel and Tower New York retained its AAA five-star rating.
Nigeria’s presidential election is Saturday. To prove to voters he was allowed entry to the United States, the main opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar, checked into the Trump Hotel D.C. last month and held a town hall there. Long-shot candidate Nicholas Felix also stayed at the hotel. (All sightings were scoops by 1100 Pennsylvania.)
The Trump Organization continues to invest in its money-losing Aberdeen golf course.

President Trump’s liquor-license application for the now-defunct Trump SoHo is among several documents that disprove his current claim that he’s 6-foot-3 reported Derek Kravitz of ProPublica (read the entire thread):

House investigations, current status (latest change, Feb. 8, 2019)

Financial Services—Sent an inquiry to Deutsche Bank AG on its ties to Trump, according to the bank on Jan. 24.
Foreign Affairs—Chair Rep. 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—On Feb. 6, chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D–CA) issued a statement that said his committee would investigate links or coordination between the Russian government/related foreign actors and individuals associated with Trump’s businesses as well as if foreign actors sought to compromise or hold leverage over Trump’s businesses. During an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Feb. 10, Schiff said the committee will investigate Trump’s relationship with Deutsche Bank, a major lender for the Trump Organization. Earlier, on Jan. 24, the committee sent an inquiry to Deutsche Bank AG on its ties to Trump, according to the bank.
Oversight and Reform—Chair Rep. 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—Transportation committee chair Rep. Peter DeFazio (D–OR) and subcommittee chair Dina Titus (D–NV) sent a letter to GSA administrator Emily Murphy on Jan. 22 asking for all communication between the GSA and the members of the Trump family dating back to 2015, an explanation of how the hotel calculates its profits, profit statements since the hotel opened in 2016, any guidance from the White House regarding the lease, and whether or not Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are recused from participating in decisions regarding the property. DeFazio and Titus requested a reply by Feb. 8. When hearings begin, it is likely that Murphy will be the first person called to testify, according to a person familiar with the subcommittee’s plans.
Ways and Means subcommittee on Oversight—The subcommittee held its first hearing on “legislative proposals and tax law related to presidential and vice-presidential tax returns” on Feb. 7. “We will ask the question: Does the public have a need to know that a person seeking the highest office in our country obeys tax law?” said chair Rep. John Lewis (D–GA). Experts in tax law testified.

Legal cases, current status (latest change, Feb. 7, 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. (Discovery had started Dec. 3 and was scheduled to run through Aug. 2, 2019, with the AGs already having issued subpoenas, including to the Trump Organization, including its Scotish golf courses; the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, and Treasury and the GSA; and the state of Maine. Oral arguments on the appeal are scheduled for March 19. The AGs filed their brief opposing the president’s appeal on Feb. 6, stating “The President is not entitled to an order requiring the district court to certify for interlocutory review its denial of his motion to dismiss. No court has ever issued such relief.”
- 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. And on Jan. 30, 2019 the plaintiffs’ filed a notice of supplemental authority, notifying the court of the GSA inspector general’s report that criticized GSA for failing to consider if the Trump Hotel D.C.’s lease was in compliance with the U.S. Constitution after Donald Trump became president. Two days later, the president’s attorneys argued that the IG’s conclusion was not inconsistent with Trump’s argument, but that the judge should ignore that report anyway because the IG has no expertise in interpreting or applying the foreign emoluments clause.
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—Two of the three plaintiffs did not appear at a status hearing on Jan. 25; their cases were moved to arbitration. Via email, their attorney, A.J. Dhali, said his clients did not appear at the hearing because their case already had been moved to arbitration last year. The next status hearing is scheduled for Oct. 4.

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

One thing that has nothing to do with Trump’s businesses (I think, tough to tell sometimes!)

Yesterday’s Page 6 reported that Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle were due for a low-key Valentine’s Day celebration:

Trump is planning a quiet Valentine’s Day dinner at a restaurant with his darling. “I’m probably more of a fisherman than I am a romantic, not to say that you can’t do both,” he admitted with a smile. “We’re just going to hang out. We’re all traveling a lot over the coming weeks so we’re going to do a nice calm thing, just the two of us.”

That '“nice calm thing” included a whole bunch of twieeting:

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see, tell someone—and support this work by becoming a paying member ($5/month or $50/year). 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.