🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 104 (from laksa043)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa104.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical, ml_categories_json AS ml_categories_json, ml_types_json AS ml_types_json, ml_intent_types_json AS ml_intent_types_json, meta_language AS meta_language, attrs_author AS attrs_author, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_publish_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_original_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_original_publish_time, ifNull(attrs_is_republished, 0) AS attrs_is_republished, ifNull(attrs_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_nr_words, ifNull(attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, ifNull(body_ext_links_number, 0) AS body_ext_links_number, ifNull(body_int_links_number, 0) AS body_int_links_number, ifNull(meta_nofollow, 0) AS meta_nofollow, ifNull(meta_noarchive, 0) AS meta_noarchive, ifNull(props_was_rendered, 0) AS props_was_rendered, ifNull(src_redirect, \'\') AS src_redirect, ifNull(download_time_msec, 0) AS download_time_msec, ifNull(download_ttfb_msec, 0) AS download_ttfb_msec, ifNull(download_size, 0) AS download_size FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a63373441/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a63373441/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/news-politics\/politics\/a63373441\/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project\/","crawl_time":1776824158,"first_indexed_time":1736371728,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,esquire!www,\/news-politics\/politics\/a63373441\/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project\/ s443","src_root_hash":"10435326679754424304","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Is Trump’s Interest in Panama Tied to Past Hotel Deal?","meta_descriptions":["Should we look to the once and future president’s past business dealings?"],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"The once and future president’s sudden lust for the Panama Canal rang a bell deep in the blog’s cortex. Sure, he was just running his mouth. (Chinese troops are running the canal? Which of his brainiac advisors came up with that one? Was it noted geopolitician Professor Otto Yerass? Probably.)  But something else was familiar, so we considered the shebeen’s Director of Research, Dr. Google.\nThis is what he produced\n. From\nThe\nIndependent\n:\nThe dispute over the canal is just the latest chapter of Trump drama in Panama. Before and throughout his first term in the White House, a high-profile Trump hotel project in the country was a seemingly unending source of scandal and financial problems, ranging from a partner’s bankruptcy to money-laundering allegations to long-running legal battles.\nIn 2011, Trump and his business partners cut the ribbon on the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower, a 70-story, sail-shaped skyscraper that loomed large over Panama City and the Trump Organization itself. The tower, which was first conceived way back in 2005, was Trump’s\nfirst international hotel venture\nand one of the tallest buildings in Latin America. Trump capital didn’t go towards building the development itself, but the tower used the Trump name for branding, and companies controlled by the Trump Organization would manage the property, which contained a casino, hotel rooms and condos.\nDid all the fcks gather in a cluster? Let’s guess.\nEven in the early days, the project seemed doomed, with one of Trump’s partners defaulting on debts soon after the tower opened and later filing for bankruptcy. Ricardo Martinelli, president of Panama at the time of the opening, has since been convicted of money-laundering and has\ntaken shelter inside the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama\n.\nIs the Trump Organization’s vetting procedure limited to one question—“Do you have lots of money, or can you pretend you do?” Opinions vary.\nSubsequent\ninvestigations\nfrom news outlets alleged that one of the main brokers who sold units in the tower, Alexandre Ventura Nogueira, met repeatedly with Ivanka Trump while working on the project and did business with organized crime figures who may have used the properties for money-laundering, earning the tower the nickname “Narco-a-Lago,” a play on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.\nThe Trump Organization, of course, denied any knowledge of Nogueira, who blew town while awaiting trial on unrelated charges. And while the echoes of a cock crowing were still resounding, some of the tower’s tenants sued the organization for being lousy real estate managers—a family trademark—and the once and future countersued for $75 million. In 2017, things got physical.\nIn 2017, businessman Orestes Fintiklis bought hundreds of units inside the hotel-condo portion of the building for between $20m and $25m\nfrom one of the tower’s bankrupt developers\n, making him the controlling owner. He helped lead owners of units in the building in calls to sever their relationship with the Trump companies managing the development. The Trump Organization accused Fintiklis of violating the terms of his original acquisition deals for the units, saying he agreed not to interfere in the Trump team’s management of the hotel.\nBy the following year, as Fintiklis sought to assume what he argued was majority ownership of the tower, shoving matches broke out between his employees and remaining Trump Organization staff. In one\nincident\n, the Trump team allegedly barred the new owners from entering a room with computer servers and CCTV monitors, prompting the owners group to allegedly shut off power to the room.\nUltimately, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, in 2018, this all wound up in court in New York. The Fintiklis side charged that the Trump Organization had played fast and loose with the tax laws, and that it was a lousy landlord. The Trump side denied everything. A Panamanian court later ruled in Fintiklis’s favor, and Trump’s name was torn from the side of the building, which is now a Marriott property. (The winning side dropped the suit in 2021.) It may sound cynical, but I suspect that the once and future president might have an ax to grind against Panama itself. In fact, I suspect that we may all well be deafened by the sound of 1,000 axes, grinding, over the next four years.\nThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.","attrs_markdown":"[![Search](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/search.f1c199c.svg)Search](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/search\/)\n\n![Close](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/close.38e3324.svg)\n***\n- [Subscribe](https:\/\/shop.esquire.com\/esquire-premium-membership-tier-2.html?cds_tracking_code=esqpanelnav)\n- [My Bookmarks](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/my-stuff\/)\n- [Entertainment](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/entertainment\/)\n- [Style](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/style\/)\n- [Food](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/food-drink\/food\/)\n- [Drinks](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/food-drink\/drinks\/)\n- [Sports](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/sports\/)\n- [Lifestyle](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/lifestyle\/)\n- [News & Politics](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/news-politics\/)\n- [Archive](http:\/\/classic.esquire.com\/)\n- [Newsletter](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/email\/esquire-newsletter)\n- [About Us](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/about\/a26377\/about-us\/)\n- [Follow](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/news-politics\/politics\/a63373441\/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project\/)\n\n- [Other Editions](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/)\n\n[Privacy Notice](https:\/\/www.hearst.com\/-\/us-magazines-privacy-notice)[Terms Of Use](https:\/\/www.hearst.com\/-\/us-magazines-terms-of-use)\n\n[Skip to Content](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/news-politics\/politics\/a63373441\/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project\/#main-content)\n\nUS\n\n- [US](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/)\n- [UK](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/uk\/)\n- [España](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/es\/)\n- [Italia](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/it\/)\n- [Japan](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/jp\/)\n\n[Newsletter](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/email\/esquire-newsletter\/)\n\n[Sign in](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/auth\/csrf?action=login&return_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.esquire.com%2Fnews-politics%2Fpolitics%2Fa63373441%2Ftrump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project%2F)\n\n[Sign in](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/auth\/csrf?action=login&return_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.esquire.com%2Fnews-politics%2Fpolitics%2Fa63373441%2Ftrump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project%2F)\n\n[Subscribe](https:\/\/shop.esquire.com\/esquire-premium-membership.html?cds_tracking_code=esqtopnav)\n\n- [Entertainment](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/entertainment\/)\n- [What to Buy](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/best-products-to-buy\/)\n- [Style](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/style\/)\n- [Lifestyle](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/lifestyle\/)\n- [News and Politics](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/news-politics\/)\n- [Food and Drinks](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/food-drink\/food\/)\n- [Sports](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/sports\/)\n- [Member Exclusives](https:\/\/shop.esquire.com\/esquire-premium-membership-tier-2.html?cds_tracking_code=esqpanelnav)\n- [More](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/news-politics\/politics\/a63373441\/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project\/)\n\n1. [News](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/news-politics\/)\n2. [Politics With Charles P. Pierce](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/news-politics\/politics\/)\n3. [Gee, I Wonder Why Trump Is So Interested in Panama](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/news-politics\/politics\/a63373441\/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project\/)\n\nFollow Politics With Charles P. Pierce\n\n[My Feed](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/for-you)\n# Gee, I Wonder Why Trump Is So Interested in Panama\nShould we look to the once and future president’s past business dealings?\n\nBy [Charles P. Pierce](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/author\/7884\/charles-p-pierce\/ \"Charles P. Pierce\")\n\nPublished: Jan 08, 2025 3:31 PM EST\n\nSave Article\n\n![Open share options](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/social\/sharing.89c15b8.svg?primary=%2523FF3A30)\n\n![bookmarks](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/chat-text-regular.fbcc23c.svg?primary=%2523FF3A30)48\n\n![trump international panama](https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/storypicture-of-the-trump-ocean-club-international-hotel-news-photo-1736364086.pjpeg?crop=1.00xw:0.832xh;0,0.127xh&resize=640:*)\n\nAFP\/\/Getty Images\n\nThe once and future president’s sudden lust for the Panama Canal rang a bell deep in the blog’s cortex. Sure, he was just running his mouth. (Chinese troops are running the canal? Which of his brainiac advisors came up with that one? Was it noted geopolitician Professor Otto Yerass? Probably.) But something else was familiar, so we considered the shebeen’s Director of Research, Dr. Google. [This is what he produced](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/trump-panama-canal-hotel-lawsuit-history-b2669911.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiqpNioRY$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/trump-panama-canal-hotel-lawsuit-history-b2669911.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiqpNioRY$\"). From *The* *Independent*:\n\n> The dispute over the canal is just the latest chapter of Trump drama in Panama. Before and throughout his first term in the White House, a high-profile Trump hotel project in the country was a seemingly unending source of scandal and financial problems, ranging from a partner’s bankruptcy to money-laundering allegations to long-running legal battles.\n\n> In 2011, Trump and his business partners cut the ribbon on the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower, a 70-story, sail-shaped skyscraper that loomed large over Panama City and the Trump Organization itself. The tower, which was first conceived way back in 2005, was Trump’s [first international hotel venture](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/panama-hotel-trump-removed-ocean-club-international-a8079991.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgi6NBU1iE$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/panama-hotel-trump-removed-ocean-club-international-a8079991.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgi6NBU1iE$\") and one of the tallest buildings in Latin America. Trump capital didn’t go towards building the development itself, but the tower used the Trump name for branding, and companies controlled by the Trump Organization would manage the property, which contained a casino, hotel rooms and condos.\n\nDid all the fcks gather in a cluster? Let’s guess.\n\n> Even in the early days, the project seemed doomed, with one of Trump’s partners defaulting on debts soon after the tower opened and later filing for bankruptcy. Ricardo Martinelli, president of Panama at the time of the opening, has since been convicted of money-laundering and has [taken shelter inside the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/apnews.com\/article\/panama-martinelli-corruption-nicaragua-ortega-78f8d8359b9ec3a3edfaf0886ceb4bfa__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgioWh4CnE$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/apnews.com\/article\/panama-martinelli-corruption-nicaragua-ortega-78f8d8359b9ec3a3edfaf0886ceb4bfa__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgioWh4CnE$\").\n\nIs the Trump Organization’s vetting procedure limited to one question—“Do you have lots of money, or can you pretend you do?” Opinions vary.\n\n> Subsequent [investigations](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2017\/nov\/17\/trump-ocean-club-panama-money-laundering-reports__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgin1Be4nY$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2017\/nov\/17\/trump-ocean-club-panama-money-laundering-reports__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgin1Be4nY$\") from news outlets alleged that one of the main brokers who sold units in the tower, Alexandre Ventura Nogueira, met repeatedly with Ivanka Trump while working on the project and did business with organized crime figures who may have used the properties for money-laundering, earning the tower the nickname “Narco-a-Lago,” a play on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.\n\nThe Trump Organization, of course, denied any knowledge of Nogueira, who blew town while awaiting trial on unrelated charges. And while the echoes of a cock crowing were still resounding, some of the tower’s tenants sued the organization for being lousy real estate managers—a family trademark—and the once and future countersued for \\$75 million. In 2017, things got physical.\n\n> In 2017, businessman Orestes Fintiklis bought hundreds of units inside the hotel-condo portion of the building for between \\$20m and \\$25m [from one of the tower’s bankrupt developers](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/politics-government\/article254361788.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgicfKFqI0$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/politics-government\/article254361788.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgicfKFqI0$\"), making him the controlling owner. He helped lead owners of units in the building in calls to sever their relationship with the Trump companies managing the development. The Trump Organization accused Fintiklis of violating the terms of his original acquisition deals for the units, saying he agreed not to interfere in the Trump team’s management of the hotel.\n\n> By the following year, as Fintiklis sought to assume what he argued was majority ownership of the tower, shoving matches broke out between his employees and remaining Trump Organization staff. In one [incident](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/26\/world\/americas\/panama-trump-hotel-dispute.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiQZ70lGE$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/26\/world\/americas\/panama-trump-hotel-dispute.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiQZ70lGE$\"), the Trump team allegedly barred the new owners from entering a room with computer servers and CCTV monitors, prompting the owners group to allegedly shut off power to the room.\n\nUltimately, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, in 2018, this all wound up in court in New York. The Fintiklis side charged that the Trump Organization had played fast and loose with the tax laws, and that it was a lousy landlord. The Trump side denied everything. A Panamanian court later ruled in Fintiklis’s favor, and Trump’s name was torn from the side of the building, which is now a Marriott property. (The winning side dropped the suit in 2021.) It may sound cynical, but I suspect that the once and future president might have an ax to grind against Panama itself. In fact, I suspect that we may all well be deafened by the sound of 1,000 axes, grinding, over the next four years.\n\n## Related Story\n- [![](data:image\/svg+xml;utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20viewBox%3D'0%200%201024%201024'%3E%3Crect%20width%3D'100%25'%20height%3D'100%25'%20fill%3D'%23f3f3f3'%2F%3E%3Cg%20fill%3D'none'%20stroke%3D'%23545454'%20stroke-linecap%3D'round'%20stroke-width%3D'18'%3E%3Ccircle%20cx%3D'512'%20cy%3D'310'%20r%3D'97'%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D'm444%20245%20132%20133'%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3Cg%20fill%3D'%23545454'%20font-family%3D'Arial%2CHelvetica%2Csans-serif'%20font-size%3D'98'%20font-weight%3D'600'%20text-anchor%3D'middle'%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D'514'%20y%3D'535'%3EIMAGE%3C%2Ftext%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D'514'%20y%3D'643'%3EFAILED%3C%2Ftext%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D'514'%20y%3D'747'%3ETO%20LOAD%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)Donald Trump Is the Easiest Person to Troll in the History of Trolling](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/news-politics\/politics\/a63363442\/trump-troll-danish-king-greenland\/)\n\nThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.\n\nWatch NextDavid Spade on Chris Farley, 'SNL' & His Feud With Eddie Murphy \\| What I’ve Learned \\| Esquire\n\n![Play video](<data:image\/svg+xml,\\<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" fill=\"%23ffffff\" viewBox=\"0 0 256 256\"\\>%0A%09\\<path d=\"M240,128a15.74,15.74,0,0,1-7.6,13.51L88.32,229.65a16,16,0,0,1-16.2.3A15.86,15.86,0,0,1,64,216.13V39.87a15.86,15.86,0,0,1,8.12-13.82,16,16,0,0,1,16.2.3L232.4,114.49A15.74,15.74,0,0,1,240,128Z\"\\>%0A\\<\/path\\>\\<\/svg\\>>)\n\n![Video poster](https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/vidthumb\/images\/2018-esquire-how-presidents-have-reacted-to-gun-violence-thumbnail-clean-1518737500.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top)\n\nDavid Spade on Chris Farley, 'SNL' & His Feud With Eddie Murphy \\| What I’ve Learned \\| Esquire\n\nEsquire US\n\n![Playlist Back](<data:image\/svg+xml,\\<svg 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Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.\n\n[Privacy Notice](https:\/\/www.hearst.com\/-\/us-magazines-privacy-notice)[CA Notice at Collection](https:\/\/www.hearst.com\/-\/us-magazines-privacy-notice#_ADDITIONAL_INFO)[Your CA Privacy Rights\/Shine the Light](https:\/\/www.hearst.com\/-\/us-magazines-privacy-notice#_ADDITIONAL_INFO)[DAA Industry Opt Out](https:\/\/www.hearst.com\/-\/us-magazines-privacy-notice#_OPT_OUTS)[Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.hearst.com\/-\/us-magazines-terms-of-use)[Site Map](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/sitemap\/)\n\n[Cookies Choices](https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/news-politics\/politics\/a63373441\/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project\/ \"Cookies Choices\")","attrs_readable_markdown":"The once and future president’s sudden lust for the Panama Canal rang a bell deep in the blog’s cortex. Sure, he was just running his mouth. (Chinese troops are running the canal? Which of his brainiac advisors came up with that one? Was it noted geopolitician Professor Otto Yerass? Probably.) But something else was familiar, so we considered the shebeen’s Director of Research, Dr. Google. [This is what he produced](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/trump-panama-canal-hotel-lawsuit-history-b2669911.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiqpNioRY$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/trump-panama-canal-hotel-lawsuit-history-b2669911.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiqpNioRY$\"). From *The* *Independent*:\n\n> The dispute over the canal is just the latest chapter of Trump drama in Panama. Before and throughout his first term in the White House, a high-profile Trump hotel project in the country was a seemingly unending source of scandal and financial problems, ranging from a partner’s bankruptcy to money-laundering allegations to long-running legal battles.\n\n> In 2011, Trump and his business partners cut the ribbon on the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower, a 70-story, sail-shaped skyscraper that loomed large over Panama City and the Trump Organization itself. The tower, which was first conceived way back in 2005, was Trump’s [first international hotel venture](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/panama-hotel-trump-removed-ocean-club-international-a8079991.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgi6NBU1iE$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/panama-hotel-trump-removed-ocean-club-international-a8079991.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgi6NBU1iE$\") and one of the tallest buildings in Latin America. Trump capital didn’t go towards building the development itself, but the tower used the Trump name for branding, and companies controlled by the Trump Organization would manage the property, which contained a casino, hotel rooms and condos.\n\nDid all the fcks gather in a cluster? Let’s guess.\n\n> Even in the early days, the project seemed doomed, with one of Trump’s partners defaulting on debts soon after the tower opened and later filing for bankruptcy. Ricardo Martinelli, president of Panama at the time of the opening, has since been convicted of money-laundering and has [taken shelter inside the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/apnews.com\/article\/panama-martinelli-corruption-nicaragua-ortega-78f8d8359b9ec3a3edfaf0886ceb4bfa__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgioWh4CnE$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/apnews.com\/article\/panama-martinelli-corruption-nicaragua-ortega-78f8d8359b9ec3a3edfaf0886ceb4bfa__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgioWh4CnE$\").\n\nIs the Trump Organization’s vetting procedure limited to one question—“Do you have lots of money, or can you pretend you do?” Opinions vary.\n\n> Subsequent [investigations](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2017\/nov\/17\/trump-ocean-club-panama-money-laundering-reports__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgin1Be4nY$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2017\/nov\/17\/trump-ocean-club-panama-money-laundering-reports__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgin1Be4nY$\") from news outlets alleged that one of the main brokers who sold units in the tower, Alexandre Ventura Nogueira, met repeatedly with Ivanka Trump while working on the project and did business with organized crime figures who may have used the properties for money-laundering, earning the tower the nickname “Narco-a-Lago,” a play on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.\n\nThe Trump Organization, of course, denied any knowledge of Nogueira, who blew town while awaiting trial on unrelated charges. And while the echoes of a cock crowing were still resounding, some of the tower’s tenants sued the organization for being lousy real estate managers—a family trademark—and the once and future countersued for \\$75 million. In 2017, things got physical.\n\n> In 2017, businessman Orestes Fintiklis bought hundreds of units inside the hotel-condo portion of the building for between \\$20m and \\$25m [from one of the tower’s bankrupt developers](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/politics-government\/article254361788.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgicfKFqI0$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/politics-government\/article254361788.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgicfKFqI0$\"), making him the controlling owner. He helped lead owners of units in the building in calls to sever their relationship with the Trump companies managing the development. The Trump Organization accused Fintiklis of violating the terms of his original acquisition deals for the units, saying he agreed not to interfere in the Trump team’s management of the hotel.\n\n> By the following year, as Fintiklis sought to assume what he argued was majority ownership of the tower, shoving matches broke out between his employees and remaining Trump Organization staff. In one [incident](https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/26\/world\/americas\/panama-trump-hotel-dispute.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiQZ70lGE$ \"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/26\/world\/americas\/panama-trump-hotel-dispute.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiQZ70lGE$\"), the Trump team allegedly barred the new owners from entering a room with computer servers and CCTV monitors, prompting the owners group to allegedly shut off power to the room.\n\nUltimately, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, in 2018, this all wound up in court in New York. The Fintiklis side charged that the Trump Organization had played fast and loose with the tax laws, and that it was a lousy landlord. The Trump side denied everything. A Panamanian court later ruled in Fintiklis’s favor, and Trump’s name was torn from the side of the building, which is now a Marriott property. (The winning side dropped the suit in 2021.) It may sound cynical, but I suspect that the once and future president might have an ax to grind against Panama itself. In fact, I suspect that we may all well be deafened by the sound of 1,000 axes, grinding, over the next four years.\n\nThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.","meta_canonical":null,"ml_categories_json":"{\"\/News\":547,\"\/News\/Politics\":475,\"\/News\/Politics\/Campaigns_and_Elections\":371,\"\/Law_and_Government\":331,\"\/Law_and_Government\/Government\":179}","ml_types_json":"{\"\/Article\":998,\"\/Article\/Opinion_Piece\":764}","ml_intent_types_json":"{\"Informational\":999}","meta_language":"en-us","attrs_author":"Charles P. 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Is Trump’s Interest in Panama Tied to Past Hotel Deal?

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Should we look to the once and future president’s past business dealings?

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[![Search](https://www.esquire.com/_assets/design-tokens/fre/static/icons/search.f1c199c.svg)Search](https://www.esquire.com/search/) ![Close](https://www.esquire.com/_assets/design-tokens/fre/static/icons/close.38e3324.svg) *** - [Subscribe](https://shop.esquire.com/esquire-premium-membership-tier-2.html?cds_tracking_code=esqpanelnav) - [My Bookmarks](https://www.esquire.com/my-stuff/) - [Entertainment](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/) - [Style](https://www.esquire.com/style/) - [Food](https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/food/) - [Drinks](https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/) - [Sports](https://www.esquire.com/sports/) - [Lifestyle](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/) - [News & Politics](https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/) - [Archive](http://classic.esquire.com/) - [Newsletter](https://www.esquire.com/email/esquire-newsletter) - [About Us](https://www.esquire.com/about/a26377/about-us/) - [Follow](https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a63373441/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project/) - [Other Editions](https://www.esquire.com/) [Privacy Notice](https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-privacy-notice)[Terms Of Use](https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-terms-of-use) [Skip to Content](https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a63373441/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project/#main-content) US - [US](https://www.esquire.com/) - [UK](https://www.esquire.com/uk/) - [España](https://www.esquire.com/es/) - [Italia](https://www.esquire.com/it/) - [Japan](https://www.esquire.com/jp/) [Newsletter](https://www.esquire.com/email/esquire-newsletter/) [Sign in](https://www.esquire.com/auth/csrf?action=login&return_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.esquire.com%2Fnews-politics%2Fpolitics%2Fa63373441%2Ftrump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project%2F) [Sign in](https://www.esquire.com/auth/csrf?action=login&return_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.esquire.com%2Fnews-politics%2Fpolitics%2Fa63373441%2Ftrump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project%2F) [Subscribe](https://shop.esquire.com/esquire-premium-membership.html?cds_tracking_code=esqtopnav) - [Entertainment](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/) - [What to Buy](https://www.esquire.com/best-products-to-buy/) - [Style](https://www.esquire.com/style/) - [Lifestyle](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/) - [News and Politics](https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/) - [Food and Drinks](https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/food/) - [Sports](https://www.esquire.com/sports/) - [Member Exclusives](https://shop.esquire.com/esquire-premium-membership-tier-2.html?cds_tracking_code=esqpanelnav) - [More](https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a63373441/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project/) 1. [News](https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/) 2. [Politics With Charles P. Pierce](https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/) 3. [Gee, I Wonder Why Trump Is So Interested in Panama](https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a63373441/trump-legal-battle-panama-hotel-project/) Follow Politics With Charles P. Pierce [My Feed](https://www.esquire.com/for-you) # Gee, I Wonder Why Trump Is So Interested in Panama Should we look to the once and future president’s past business dealings? By [Charles P. Pierce](https://www.esquire.com/author/7884/charles-p-pierce/ "Charles P. Pierce") Published: Jan 08, 2025 3:31 PM EST Save Article ![Open share options](https://www.esquire.com/_assets/design-tokens/fre/static/icons/social/sharing.89c15b8.svg?primary=%2523FF3A30) ![bookmarks](https://www.esquire.com/_assets/design-tokens/fre/static/icons/chat-text-regular.fbcc23c.svg?primary=%2523FF3A30)48 ![trump international panama](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/storypicture-of-the-trump-ocean-club-international-hotel-news-photo-1736364086.pjpeg?crop=1.00xw:0.832xh;0,0.127xh&resize=640:*) AFP//Getty Images The once and future president’s sudden lust for the Panama Canal rang a bell deep in the blog’s cortex. Sure, he was just running his mouth. (Chinese troops are running the canal? Which of his brainiac advisors came up with that one? Was it noted geopolitician Professor Otto Yerass? Probably.) But something else was familiar, so we considered the shebeen’s Director of Research, Dr. Google. [This is what he produced](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-panama-canal-hotel-lawsuit-history-b2669911.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiqpNioRY$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-panama-canal-hotel-lawsuit-history-b2669911.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiqpNioRY$"). From *The* *Independent*: > The dispute over the canal is just the latest chapter of Trump drama in Panama. Before and throughout his first term in the White House, a high-profile Trump hotel project in the country was a seemingly unending source of scandal and financial problems, ranging from a partner’s bankruptcy to money-laundering allegations to long-running legal battles. > In 2011, Trump and his business partners cut the ribbon on the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower, a 70-story, sail-shaped skyscraper that loomed large over Panama City and the Trump Organization itself. The tower, which was first conceived way back in 2005, was Trump’s [first international hotel venture](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/panama-hotel-trump-removed-ocean-club-international-a8079991.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgi6NBU1iE$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/panama-hotel-trump-removed-ocean-club-international-a8079991.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgi6NBU1iE$") and one of the tallest buildings in Latin America. Trump capital didn’t go towards building the development itself, but the tower used the Trump name for branding, and companies controlled by the Trump Organization would manage the property, which contained a casino, hotel rooms and condos. Did all the fcks gather in a cluster? Let’s guess. > Even in the early days, the project seemed doomed, with one of Trump’s partners defaulting on debts soon after the tower opened and later filing for bankruptcy. Ricardo Martinelli, president of Panama at the time of the opening, has since been convicted of money-laundering and has [taken shelter inside the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/apnews.com/article/panama-martinelli-corruption-nicaragua-ortega-78f8d8359b9ec3a3edfaf0886ceb4bfa__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgioWh4CnE$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/apnews.com/article/panama-martinelli-corruption-nicaragua-ortega-78f8d8359b9ec3a3edfaf0886ceb4bfa__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgioWh4CnE$"). Is the Trump Organization’s vetting procedure limited to one question—“Do you have lots of money, or can you pretend you do?” Opinions vary. > Subsequent [investigations](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/17/trump-ocean-club-panama-money-laundering-reports__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgin1Be4nY$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/17/trump-ocean-club-panama-money-laundering-reports__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgin1Be4nY$") from news outlets alleged that one of the main brokers who sold units in the tower, Alexandre Ventura Nogueira, met repeatedly with Ivanka Trump while working on the project and did business with organized crime figures who may have used the properties for money-laundering, earning the tower the nickname “Narco-a-Lago,” a play on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The Trump Organization, of course, denied any knowledge of Nogueira, who blew town while awaiting trial on unrelated charges. And while the echoes of a cock crowing were still resounding, some of the tower’s tenants sued the organization for being lousy real estate managers—a family trademark—and the once and future countersued for \$75 million. In 2017, things got physical. > In 2017, businessman Orestes Fintiklis bought hundreds of units inside the hotel-condo portion of the building for between \$20m and \$25m [from one of the tower’s bankrupt developers](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article254361788.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgicfKFqI0$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article254361788.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgicfKFqI0$"), making him the controlling owner. He helped lead owners of units in the building in calls to sever their relationship with the Trump companies managing the development. The Trump Organization accused Fintiklis of violating the terms of his original acquisition deals for the units, saying he agreed not to interfere in the Trump team’s management of the hotel. > By the following year, as Fintiklis sought to assume what he argued was majority ownership of the tower, shoving matches broke out between his employees and remaining Trump Organization staff. In one [incident](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/world/americas/panama-trump-hotel-dispute.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiQZ70lGE$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/world/americas/panama-trump-hotel-dispute.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiQZ70lGE$"), the Trump team allegedly barred the new owners from entering a room with computer servers and CCTV monitors, prompting the owners group to allegedly shut off power to the room. Ultimately, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, in 2018, this all wound up in court in New York. The Fintiklis side charged that the Trump Organization had played fast and loose with the tax laws, and that it was a lousy landlord. The Trump side denied everything. A Panamanian court later ruled in Fintiklis’s favor, and Trump’s name was torn from the side of the building, which is now a Marriott property. (The winning side dropped the suit in 2021.) It may sound cynical, but I suspect that the once and future president might have an ax to grind against Panama itself. In fact, I suspect that we may all well be deafened by the sound of 1,000 axes, grinding, over the next four years. ## Related Story - [![](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20viewBox%3D'0%200%201024%201024'%3E%3Crect%20width%3D'100%25'%20height%3D'100%25'%20fill%3D'%23f3f3f3'%2F%3E%3Cg%20fill%3D'none'%20stroke%3D'%23545454'%20stroke-linecap%3D'round'%20stroke-width%3D'18'%3E%3Ccircle%20cx%3D'512'%20cy%3D'310'%20r%3D'97'%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D'm444%20245%20132%20133'%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3Cg%20fill%3D'%23545454'%20font-family%3D'Arial%2CHelvetica%2Csans-serif'%20font-size%3D'98'%20font-weight%3D'600'%20text-anchor%3D'middle'%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D'514'%20y%3D'535'%3EIMAGE%3C%2Ftext%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D'514'%20y%3D'643'%3EFAILED%3C%2Ftext%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D'514'%20y%3D'747'%3ETO%20LOAD%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)Donald Trump Is the Easiest Person to Troll in the History of Trolling](https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a63363442/trump-troll-danish-king-greenland/) This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. 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The once and future president’s sudden lust for the Panama Canal rang a bell deep in the blog’s cortex. Sure, he was just running his mouth. (Chinese troops are running the canal? Which of his brainiac advisors came up with that one? Was it noted geopolitician Professor Otto Yerass? Probably.) But something else was familiar, so we considered the shebeen’s Director of Research, Dr. Google. [This is what he produced](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-panama-canal-hotel-lawsuit-history-b2669911.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiqpNioRY$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-panama-canal-hotel-lawsuit-history-b2669911.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiqpNioRY$"). From *The* *Independent*: > The dispute over the canal is just the latest chapter of Trump drama in Panama. Before and throughout his first term in the White House, a high-profile Trump hotel project in the country was a seemingly unending source of scandal and financial problems, ranging from a partner’s bankruptcy to money-laundering allegations to long-running legal battles. > In 2011, Trump and his business partners cut the ribbon on the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower, a 70-story, sail-shaped skyscraper that loomed large over Panama City and the Trump Organization itself. The tower, which was first conceived way back in 2005, was Trump’s [first international hotel venture](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/panama-hotel-trump-removed-ocean-club-international-a8079991.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgi6NBU1iE$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/panama-hotel-trump-removed-ocean-club-international-a8079991.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgi6NBU1iE$") and one of the tallest buildings in Latin America. Trump capital didn’t go towards building the development itself, but the tower used the Trump name for branding, and companies controlled by the Trump Organization would manage the property, which contained a casino, hotel rooms and condos. Did all the fcks gather in a cluster? Let’s guess. > Even in the early days, the project seemed doomed, with one of Trump’s partners defaulting on debts soon after the tower opened and later filing for bankruptcy. Ricardo Martinelli, president of Panama at the time of the opening, has since been convicted of money-laundering and has [taken shelter inside the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/apnews.com/article/panama-martinelli-corruption-nicaragua-ortega-78f8d8359b9ec3a3edfaf0886ceb4bfa__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgioWh4CnE$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/apnews.com/article/panama-martinelli-corruption-nicaragua-ortega-78f8d8359b9ec3a3edfaf0886ceb4bfa__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgioWh4CnE$"). Is the Trump Organization’s vetting procedure limited to one question—“Do you have lots of money, or can you pretend you do?” Opinions vary. > Subsequent [investigations](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/17/trump-ocean-club-panama-money-laundering-reports__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgin1Be4nY$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/17/trump-ocean-club-panama-money-laundering-reports__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgin1Be4nY$") from news outlets alleged that one of the main brokers who sold units in the tower, Alexandre Ventura Nogueira, met repeatedly with Ivanka Trump while working on the project and did business with organized crime figures who may have used the properties for money-laundering, earning the tower the nickname “Narco-a-Lago,” a play on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The Trump Organization, of course, denied any knowledge of Nogueira, who blew town while awaiting trial on unrelated charges. And while the echoes of a cock crowing were still resounding, some of the tower’s tenants sued the organization for being lousy real estate managers—a family trademark—and the once and future countersued for \$75 million. In 2017, things got physical. > In 2017, businessman Orestes Fintiklis bought hundreds of units inside the hotel-condo portion of the building for between \$20m and \$25m [from one of the tower’s bankrupt developers](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article254361788.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgicfKFqI0$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article254361788.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgicfKFqI0$"), making him the controlling owner. He helped lead owners of units in the building in calls to sever their relationship with the Trump companies managing the development. The Trump Organization accused Fintiklis of violating the terms of his original acquisition deals for the units, saying he agreed not to interfere in the Trump team’s management of the hotel. > By the following year, as Fintiklis sought to assume what he argued was majority ownership of the tower, shoving matches broke out between his employees and remaining Trump Organization staff. In one [incident](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/world/americas/panama-trump-hotel-dispute.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiQZ70lGE$ "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/world/americas/panama-trump-hotel-dispute.html__;!!Ivohdkk!m3zKCHKkK4ADXQLF6spTF_bxIPdP14K4taiXllGhnv9u1H0bq6bLIQ7rN0SGQjx33fgiQZ70lGE$"), the Trump team allegedly barred the new owners from entering a room with computer servers and CCTV monitors, prompting the owners group to allegedly shut off power to the room. Ultimately, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, in 2018, this all wound up in court in New York. The Fintiklis side charged that the Trump Organization had played fast and loose with the tax laws, and that it was a lousy landlord. The Trump side denied everything. A Panamanian court later ruled in Fintiklis’s favor, and Trump’s name was torn from the side of the building, which is now a Marriott property. (The winning side dropped the suit in 2021.) It may sound cynical, but I suspect that the once and future president might have an ax to grind against Panama itself. In fact, I suspect that we may all well be deafened by the sound of 1,000 axes, grinding, over the next four years. This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

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Charles P. Pierce

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2025-01-08 20:31:00 (1 year ago)

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2025-01-08 20:31:00 (1 year ago)

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