Hundreds Allege Donald Trump Doesn’t Pay His Bills

Throughout my legal career I have encountered sleazy businessmen  - and businesswomen - who I'm sure viewed themselves as "tough business people," but by any moral standard they were liars and sought to screw people over and avoid paying just debts.  In a scathing piece, USA Today reviews Donald Trump's unethical business practices.  It's not pretty and also focuses on Trump's failure to comply with labor laws.  The Trump University scam is just the tip of the iceberg.  Combined with Trump's practice of uttering untruths roughly 75% of the time, the story and others shows just how low the Republican Party has fallen.  It's also an indictment of the evangelical Christians supporting him.  Here are article highlights:

During the Atlantic City casino boom in the 1980s, Philadelphia cabinet-builder Edward Friel Jr. landed a $400,000 contract to build the bases for slot machines, registration desks, bars and other cabinets at Harrah's at Trump Plaza.

The family cabinetry business, founded in the 1940s by Edward’s father, finished its work in 1984 and submitted its final bill to the general contractor for the Trump Organization, the resort’s builder.

Edward’s son, Paul, who was the firm’s accountant, still remembers the amount of that bill more than 30 years later: $83,600. The reason: the money never came. “That began the demise of the Edward J. Friel Company… which has been around since my grandfather,” he said.

Donald Trump often portrays himself as a savior of the working class who will "protect your job." But a USA TODAY NETWORK analysis found he has been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits over the past three decades — and a large number of those involve ordinary Americans, like the Friels, who say Trump or his companies have refused to pay them.

At least 60 lawsuits, along with hundreds of liens, judgments, and other government filings reviewed by the USA TODAY NETWORK, document people who have accused Trump and his businesses of failing to pay them for their work. Among them: a dishwasher in Florida. A glass company in New Jersey. A carpet company. A plumber. Painters. Forty-eight waiters. Dozens of bartenders and other hourly workers at his resorts and clubs, coast to coast. Real estate brokers who sold his properties. And, ironically, several law firms that once represented him in these suits and others.

Trump’s companies have also been cited for 24 violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act since 2005 for failing to pay overtime or minimum wage, according to U.S. Department of Labor data. That includes 21 citations against the defunct Trump Plaza in Atlantic City and three against the also out-of-business Trump Mortgage LLC in New York. Both cases were resolved by the companies agreeing to pay back wages.

In addition to the lawsuits, the review found more than 200 mechanic’s liens — filed by contractors and employees against Trump, his companies or his properties claiming they were owed money for their work — since the 1980s. The liens range from a $75,000 claim by a Plainview, N.Y., air conditioning and heating company to a $1 million claim from the president of a New York City real estate banking firm. On just one project, Trump’s Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, records released by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission in 1990 show that at least 253 subcontractors weren’t paid in full or on time, including workers who installed walls, chandeliers and plumbing.

The actions in total paint a portrait of Trump’s sprawling organization frequently failing to pay small businesses and individuals, then sometimes tying them up in court and other negotiations for years. In some cases, the Trump teams financially overpower and outlast much smaller opponents, draining their resources. Some just give up the fight, or settle for less; some have ended up in bankruptcy or out of business altogether.

Juan Carlos Enriquez, owner of The Paint Spot, in South Florida, has been waiting more than two years to get paid for his work at the Doral. The Paint Spot first filed a lien against Trump’s course, then filed a lawsuit asking a Florida judge to intervene.

In courtroom testimony, the manager of the general contractor for the Doral renovation admitted that a decision was made not to pay The Paint Spot because Trump “already paid enough.” As the construction manager spoke, “Trump’s trial attorneys visibly winced, began breathing heavily, and attempted to make eye contact” with the witness, the judge noted in his ruling.

That, and other evidence, convinced the judge The Paint Spot’s claim was credible. He ordered last month that the Doral resort be foreclosed on, sold, and the proceeds used to pay Enriquez the money he was owed. Trump’s attorneys have since filed a motion to delay the sale, and the contest continues.  Enriquez still hasn’t been paid.

Read the entire piece.  It paints a picture of lies and unethical business practices.  Trump is morally bankrupt and so is the GOP with Trump as it standard bearer.   The media needs to focus nonstop on his ruthless and unsavory business practices. 

Marcus Bachmann Caught Lying - Again

As long time readers of this blog know, in my view, no one lies more than the self-congratulatory and falsely pious Christianists. Frankly, one would think that the Commandment against lying doesn't exist in their disingenuously proof-texted Bibles given their proclivity to lie almost incessantly. Marcus Bachmann, the husband of GOP presidential candidate nutcase Michele Bachmann, is certainly proving my cynicism to be well justified. First, Bachmann claimed that his "Christian counseling" clinics did not engage in reparative therapy. Next, he disavowed his statements that gays were "barbarians" in need of "discipline." The first claim concerning raparative therapy was shown to be outright lies thanks to the under cover investigation by Truth Wins Out. As for the gays are barbarians statement, the lisping, mincing Marcus Bachmann tried to cover his very ample ass by alleging that the video clip of his statement had been tampered with. Except, of course, it had not been tampered with as a viewing of the full video via Hardball makes perfectly clear. Bachmann was merely lying in typical Christianist fashion. Alvin McEwen looks at Bachmann's dishonesty over at Holly Bullies and Headless Monsters. First, here's the full video clip, then Alvin's analysis:

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In response to the controversy regarding his clinic's use of "ex-gay" therapy, presidential candidate Michele Bachmann's husband, Marcus, gave an interview with the Star-Tribune in which he tried to shoot down the allegations.
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However, if Bachmann was using the interview in order to quell the controversy, he was very unsuccessful. The interview raises more questions, specifically about a claim he made regarding gays. The claim, that gays are like barbarians, has gotten the most play in the media. In the Star-Tribune interview, Bachmann claimed that the tape of him making the claim was doctored . . .
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In response to Bachmann's claim, the news program Hardball played the entire clip. And what does it show? The simple fact that Bachmann was being deceptive. He was talking about children who come out to their parents. Therefore, he was in fact talking about gays.
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For those keeping score, that's two lies which can be attributed to Bachmann. The first lie was when he initially denied that his clinic engages in "ex-gay therapy."
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Given that almost everything Marcus Bachmann has said on the record so far - including his claimed doctorate in Psychology - has been untrue, one has to wonder why anyone is believing his claim that he's straight. There are thousands and thousands of gays who have fathered children after all. I have three children myself.

Does the Truth Matter Anymore?

E. J. Dionne has another good column that looks at the flagrant dishonesty of the McCain/Palin ticket. Actually, I am not surprised, which is not to say that the conduct doesn't utterly disgust me. After all, the McSenile/Palin campaign is now basically being run by Karl Rove subordinates. Moreover, in my 31 years of legal practice and exposure to the business world, with few exceptions, I have found no group that lies more consistently that the self-anointed "Christians" who wear their religion on their sleeves and then proceed to lie, engage in dirty business practices, embezzle client funds, slime those around them who are honest, and engage in otherwise reprehensible conduct. After eight years of the Chimperator's and Emperor Cheney's lies, one would think the American public would have caught on - not to mention the main stream media whose failure to challenge Bush/Cheney allowed the nation to be lead into the Iraq War based on lies. Sadly, apparently such is not the case. McSenile talks about "honor" but liars have no honor. I pray that the GOP ticket loses because that may be the only way to end this increasing cancerous campaign mindset. Like the Chimperator, McCain is making me ashamed to be an American. Here are some column highlights:

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This is not false naivete: I am genuinely surprised that John McCain and his campaign keep throwing out false charges and making false claims without any qualms. They keep talking about Sarah Palin’s opposition to the Bridge to Nowhere without any embarrassment over the fact that she once supported it. They keep saying that Barack Obama will raise taxes, suggesting he’d raise them on everybody, when Obama’s plan, according to the Tax Policy Institute, would cut taxes for “about 80 percent of households” while “only about 10 percent would owe more.”

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And now comes a truly vile McCain ad accusing Obama of supporting legislation to offer "'comprehensive sex education' to kindergartners." . . . Margaret Talev of McClatchy newspapers called the ad a “deliberate low blow.” Here’s what she wrote in an excellent fact check: “This is a deliberately misleading accusation."

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McCain once campaigned on the idea that the war on terrorism is the “transcendent” issue of our time. Now, he’s stooping to cheap advertising that would be condemned as trivial and misleading in a state legislative race. And I wonder if the media will really take on this onslaught of half-truths and outright deception.

Clinton Campaign Mimics Karl Rove Tactics - Stop It Hillary!!

I am increasingly concerned by things being done by the Clinton Campaign to harm Obama’s image. One would almost believe that Karl Rove was advising Hillary, not that she does not innocently claim to have no knowledge of the dirty tricks. From my years in politics and working on campaigns, I realize that politics and campaigns can be dirty at times. However, the candidate is ultimately responsible for the actions of EVERY campaign worker and advisor. Smiling denials of ignorance on the action just does not cut it. Hillary, we want CHANGE and that includes integrity in one’s campaign.

One example of what I am talking about is this the picture posted above that I received from a friend who was really pissed off – and he’s been a Hillary supporter to date and received an e-mail (not officially from Hillary’s campaign). The following caption was under the photo:

Senator Barack Obama, Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Hillary Clinton and Ruth Harkin stand during the national anthem. Barack Hussein Obama's photo (that's his real name)......the article said he REFUSED TO NOT ONLY PUT HIS HAND ON HIS HEART DURING THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, BUT REFUSED TO SAY THE PLEDGE.....how in the hell can a man like this expect to be our next Commander-in-Chief????

Notice the wording’s emphasis on Obama’s middle name? In addition to the cheap shots about Obama’s name, Clinton minions have been talking up his drug use as a teenager on TV interviews and stressing his immaturity, even though he is four (4) years older than Bill Clinton was when he ran for President. I do not know too many people Barak’s age – or mine for that matter – who have not briefly tried drugs in their youth other than perhaps some of the Christianist nutcases. Give it up Hillary!!

As for the photo, a good friend reports that although the Flag Code is U.S. Federal law, there is no penalty for failure to comply with the Flag Code and it is not widely enforced—indeed, punitive enforcement would conflict with the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. IPlus, it was during the national anthem, not the pledge of allegiance.

In other words, can we move past this? And can we stop acting like Karl Rove is calling the shots? Or should we rather support another future president (such as (Bush) is unfortunately titled today) that can salute the flag or national anthem but cannot admit when he is wrong when he makes a mistake- i.e, middle East Wars, highest deficit ever, personalization of retirement accounts, weakening economy & dollar, - etc, etc, etc...