The Making of Donald Trump (25 page)
11
But Donald Trump sought advice from Cohn:
Kaplan, “Major Landlord Accused of Antiblack Bias in City.”
12
Trump wrote that he told Cohn, “I don’t like lawyers”:
Trump and Schwartz,
Trump: The Art of the Deal
, pp. 98–99.
13
Two months after this supposed first conversation with Cohn, Trump held a press conference at the New York Hilton:
Michael Kranish and Robert O’Harrow Jr., “Inside the Government’s Racial Bias Case Against Donald Trump’s Company, and How He Fought It.”
Washington Post
, January 23, 2016. Accessed June 9, 2016.
14
Cohn filed a lawsuit demanding $100 million in damages from the federal government:
Barbara Campbell, “Realty Company Asks $100-Million ‘Bias’ Damages.”
New York Times
, December 13, 1973. Accessed June 7, 2016.
15
The government’s lawsuit and Trump’s countersuit were heard in federal court in Brooklyn:
Kranish and O’Harrow Jr., “Inside the Government’s Racial Bias Case Against Donald Trump’s Company, and How He Fought It.” See also Wayne Barrett,
Trump: The Deals and the Downfall
, pp. 86–88.
16
In
The Art of the Deal
,
Trump said he told Cohn:
Trump and Schwartz,
Trump: The Art of the Deal
, p. 98.
17
A government press release heralded the settlement as “one of the most far reaching ever”:
Kruse, “ ‘He Brutalized for You.’ ”
18
The settlement was a complete loss for Trump, but he spun the case as a massive win:
Donald Trump and Tony Schwartz,
Trump: The Art of the Deal
, p. 99, and Wayne Barrett,
Trump: The Deals and the Downfall
, pp. 86–88.
19
The government routinely lets people who settle get off without admitting to any wrongdoing:
Kruse, “ ‘He Brutalized for You.’ ”
20
Even if he privately disagreed, or if pursuing a case was not in Cohn’s best interest:
Trump and Schwartz,
Trump: The Art of the Deal
, p. 100.
21
Among Cohn’s other clients were two of America’s most powerful Mafia figures:
Albin Krebs, “Roy Cohn, Aide to McCarty and Fiery Lawyer, Dies at 59.”
New York Times
, August 3, 1986: n. pag. Web. June 8, 2016.
1
In
The Art of the Deal
,
Trump boasts that when he applied for a casino owner’s license:
Donald Trump and Tony Schwartz,
Trump: The Art of the Deal
(New York: Ballantine, 2015), p. 210.
2
Trump set about arranging special terms to prevent scrutiny of his past:
Trump and Schwartz,
Trump: The Art of the Deal
, p. 208.
3
Trump asked John Degnan, the New Jersey attorney general, to come to him:
Trump and Schwartz,
Trump: The Art of the Deal
, p. 208.
4
He did not promise approval, but did promise that, if
Trump cooperated:
Trump and Schwartz,
Trump: The Art of the Deal
, p. 207.
5
Of course, Trump was not clean as a whistle by the standards of:
“Trump Thought A.C. Venture Could Tarnish Name.”
The Smoking Gun
, March 30, 2004. Accessed June 9, 2016.
www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/trump-thought-ac-venture-could-tarnish-name
.
6
In 1980, John Martin—the United States Attorney in Manhattan—briefly investigated:
Tim Robbins, “The Truth About Trump and the Mob.”
Newsweek
, May 1, 2016. See also David Cay Johnston, “Just What Were Donald Trump’s Ties to the Mob.”
Poltico
, May 22, 2016. Accessed June 8, 2016.
www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-mob-organized-crime-213910
.
7
The fourth case was the Justice Department’s 1973 suit accusing Trump of racial discrimination:
Morris Kaplan, “Major Landlord Accused of Antilock Bias in City.”
New York Times
, October 16, 1973. Accessed June 8, 2016.
8
After completing its investigation of Trump in a record five months:
David Cay Johnston, “Just What Were Donald Trump’s Ties to the Mob.”
Poltico
, May 22, 2016. See also David Cay Johnston, “Book Alleges Trump Did Business with Mob.”
Philadelphia Inquirer
, January 7, 1992. Accessed June 6, 2016.
9
The reporter who broke the story, Wayne Barrett, was questioned by the DGE as part of the application investigation:
Marcus Baram, “State Investigation Report on Trump Shows Complexity of Alleged Mob Ties.”
Fast Company
, March 7, 2016. Accessed June 9, 2016.
www.fastcompany.com/3057495/state-investigative-report-on-trump-shows-complexity-of-alleged-mob-ties
.
10
The DGE gave Trump a pass on his failure to disclose:
Wayne Barrett,
Trump: The Deals and the Downfall
. See also Johnston,
Temples of Chance
, p. 83.
11
It was an early sign of what two Casino Control commissioners:
Johnston, “Just What Were Donald Trump’s Ties to the Mob.”
12
At the top, the mob controlled the unions and rigged their elections:
Arnold H. Lubasch, “U.S. Jury Convicts Eight as Members of Mob Commission.”
New York Times
, November 20, 1986. Accessed June 8, 2016.
13
S & A charged the inflated prices that the LeFrak and Resnik families complained about:
Selwyn Raab, “Irregularities in Concrete Industry Inflate Building Costs, Experts Say.”
New York Times
, April 26, 1982. Accessed June 7, 2016.
14
With Cohn as his fixer, Trump had no worries that the Mafia bosses would have the unions stop work:
Albin Krebs, “Roy Cohn, Aide to McCarty and Fiery Lawyer, Dies at 59.”
New York Times
, August 3, 1986: Web. June 8, 2016.
www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/aids/080386sci-aids.html
.
15
He denied meeting Salerno. Case closed:
Johnston, “Book Alleges Trump Did Business with Mob.”
16
Just as revealing was Trump’s association with John Cody, the corrupt head of the Teamsters Local 282:
Johnston, “Just What Were Donald Trump’s Ties to the Mob.”
17
Trump, who insists in his presidential campaign that he never settles lawsuits:
Tim Robbins, “The Truth About Trump and the Mob.”
Newsweek
, May 1, 2016.
18
The chief trial prosecutor, Michael Chertoff, told the judge that the defendants:
Johnston, “Just What Were Donald Trump’s Ties to the Mob.”
19
In 1988, Trump made a deal to put his name on Trump Golden Series and Trump Executive Series limousines:
William Bastone, “Trump Limos Were Built With a Hood Ornament.”
Smoking Gun
, September 22, 2015. Accessed June 8, 2016.
www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/trump-and-staluppi-092157
.
1
Erecting gaudy buildings did not bring Donald Trump the national attention he craved:
Ira Berkow, “Trump Building the Generals in His Own Style.”
New York Times
, January 1, 1984.
2
Applying his P. T. Barnum–like skills at attracting attention:
Drew Jubera, “How Donald Trump Destroyed a Football League.”
Esquire
, January 13, 2016.
3
To promote the team, Trump sent the Brig-A-Dears to bars:
Katz, Emily Tess, “Lisa Edelstein On Being a Cheerleader for Trump’s Football Team: He Treated Them ‘Like Hookers.’ ”
Huffington Post
, December 3, 2015.
www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lisa-edelstein-on-being-a-cheerleader-for-trumps-football-team-he-treated-them-like-hookers_us_56609e3de4b079b2818db65d
.
4
Signing top college players and luring several pros
away from the NFL:
UPI, “Trump Asks Help in Paying Flutie.”
New York Times
, April 2, 1985.
5
None of this was consistent with Dixon’s low-risk, low-cost plan:
Ben Terris, “And Then There Was the Time Donald Trump Bought a Football Team …”
Washington Post
, October 19, 2015.
6
In 1984, Trump persuaded the other USFL owners to sue the NFL under the Sherman Antitrust Act:
Lois Romano, “Donald Trump, Holding All the Cards The Tower! The Team! The Money! The Future!”
Washington Post
, November 15, 1984.
7
As the two men announced the lawsuit on October 18, 1984, Cohn said:
Michael Janofsky, “Charges Fly from U.S.F.L.”
New York Times
, October 19, 1984.
8
For the trial, Trump convinced the other USFL team owners to hire Harvey D. Myerson:
Drew Jubera, “How Donald Trump Destroyed a Football League.”
Esquire
, January 13, 2016.
9
After five days of deliberation, the jury found that the NFL had indeed engaged in criminal behavior:
Jubera, “How Donald Trump Destroyed a Football League.”
10
They awarded the USFL damages in the amount of one dollar:
Jubera, “How Donald Trump Destroyed a Football League.”
11
Myerson (who later spent seventy months in prison for tax evasion):
Arnold H. Lubasch, “70 Months for Lawyer in Tax Fraud.”
New York Times
, November 14, 1992.
12
“The jury found that the failure of the USFL was not
the result of the NFL’s television contracts”:
Joe Nocera, “Donald Trump’s Less-Than-Artful Failure in Pro Football.”
New York Times
, February 19, 2016
13
“It would have been small potatoes,” Trump says as he pulls off his microphone and walks out:
Jubera, “How Donald Trump Destroyed a Football League.”
14
Tollin extended Trump a courtesy in 2009 by sending him a rough cut of the film:
Jubera, “How Donald Trump Destroyed a Football League.”
1
He piloted boats named
Mighty Mouse
and
Nuts ’n Bolts
in races off the Florida coast:
William Bastone, “Trump Vouched for Cocaine Dealer.”
The Smoking Gun
, February 16, 2016. Accessed June 7, 2016.
www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/the-donald-and-the-dealer-173892
.
2
At the time, Weichselbaum was already a twice-convicted felon:
Bastone, “Trump Vouched for Cocaine Dealer.”
3
Weichselbaum and his younger brother, Franklin:
John Connolly, “Pal Joey.”
Spy Magazine
, June 1991.
4
Why did Trump Plaza continue to pay $100,000 per month and Trump’s Castle $80,000 a month:
David Cay Johnston, “Just What Were Donald Trump’s Ties to the Mob.”
Politico
, May 22, 2016. Accessed May 26, 2016.
www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-mob-organized-crime-213910
.
5
Even though he had officially left the twice-failed helicopter company, Weichselbaum:
Tom Robbins, “ExCon Tied to Aycee Firm.” The Marshall Project, April 27, 2016. Accessed June 12, 2016.
www.themarshallproject.org/documents/2815164-Ex-con-tied-to-Aycee-firm#.Bef4Al4iK
.
6
In addition to his helicopter business, Joey Weichselbaum was an officer at a used-car dealership:
William Bastone, “Trump Vouched for Cocaine Dealer.”
7
Weichselbaum’s Ohio lawyer, Arnold Morelli, sought in a January 30, 1986, motion:
United States vs. Joseph Weichsebaum. Case no. CR 1. 85-108 Defendant’s Motion to Transfer
8
Trump characterized the defendant as “a credit to the community”:
Wayne Barrett,
Trump: The Deals and the Downfall
(New York: HarperCollins, 1992), p. 204.
9
Two years later, the DGE had to explain:
(NJ) Division of Gaming Enforcement to the Casino Control Commission, Supplemental Report on the Qualifications of Donald J. Trump. December 1, 1992.
10
When he was up for early release, Weichselbaum told his parole offcer that he already had work lined up:
Wayne Barrett,
Trump: The Deals and the Downfall
, p. 204.
11
Weischselbaum also told his probation officer that he had known about Marla Maples:
David Cay Johnston, “Book Alleges Trump Did Business with Mob.”
Philadelphia Inquirer
, January 7, 1992.
1
Bonwit’s twelve-story façade was adorned with a pair of giant bas-relief panels:
Christopher Gray, “The Store That Slipped Through the Cracks.”
New York Times
, October 3, 2014.
2
Trump assured those worried about the architectural treasures:
Robert D. McFadden, “Developer Scraps Bonwit Sculptures.”
New York Times
, June 6, 1980.
3
Instead of hiring an experienced demolition contractor:
Constance L. Hayes, “Judge Says Trump Tower Builders Cheated Union on Pension Funds.” New
York Times
, April 27, 1991.