‘DECEPTIVE PRACTICES’

Report: Trumps Repeatedly Lied to Real-Estate Investors to Make Money

Deep ProPublica/WNYC investigation uncovers methods of misdirection.

The Trump family lied over and over again about the viability of their businesses in order to make money, and their methods have been laid bare by a new investigation by ProPublica. Over multiple deals around the world, key sales numbers were repeatedly overstated to fool investors, according to the report. Ivanka Trump is described as giving false sales figures for projects in Mexico’s Baja California; Panama City, Panama; Toronto, and New York’s SoHo neighborhood to mislead potential buyers. Donald Trump also allegedly misled buyers about the amount of his ownership in projects—sometimes he had none whatsoever when he claimed that he had, according to the report. It also states the family often made money even when projects failed, at which point they ignored their prior claims of close involvement and walked away. Trump’s strategies are “notable for the myriad ways in which both success and failure triggered payments to him,” the report states.

opinion

SO MANY SCHEMES

Donald Trump, Tax Thief in Chief

David Cay Johnston