Patton: Trump Company Violates U.S. Trade Embargo On Cuba

In 1960, in response to the communist revolution in Cuba, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with that country and imposed a trade embargo. Despite a thaw in the relationship between the United States and Cuba, that trade embargo remains in place to this day.

An excellent piece of investigative journalism by Kurt Eichenwald (Newsweek, 09/29/2016) revealed that a company owned by Donald Trump violated the U.S. trade embargo.

Eichenwald writes, "A company controlled by Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, secretly conducted business in Communist Cuba during Fidel Castro's presidency despite strict American trade bans that made such undertakings illegal, according to interviews with former Trump executives, internal company records and court filings.

"Documents show that the Trump company spent a minimum of $68,000 for its 1998 foray into Cuba at a time when the corporate expenditure of even a penny in the Caribbean country was prohibited without U.S. government approval. But the company did not spend the money directly. Instead, with Trump's knowledge, executives funneled the cash for the Cuba trip through an American consulting firm called Seven Arrows Investment and Development Corp. Once the business consultants traveled to the island and incurred the expenses for the venture, Seven Arrows instructed senior officers with Trump's company - then called Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts - how to make it appear legal by linking it after the fact to a charitable effort."

This venture by Trump's company was a risky one for it took place seven months before Trump declared in 1999 for the presidency on the Reform Party ticket, an organization first established as part of Ross Perot's run for president in 1992. Had Cuban-Americans in Florida, who hated Castro, discovered that Trump's company was trying to develop economic connections with the Castro government, it would have dealt a severe blow to Trump's candidacy. Trump did his best to hide the linkage to Castro.

At a luncheon hosted by the by the Cuban American National Foundation in 1999, Trump, whose company had already broken the U.S. embargo on Cuba, staunchly defended it. "As you know - and the people in this room know better than anyone - putting money and investing money in Cuba right now doesn't go to the people of Cuba," Trump told the crowd . "It goes to Fidel Castro. He's a murderer, He's a killer. He's a bad guy in every respect, and, frankly, the embargo must stand if for no other reason than, if it does stand, he will come down." (Kurt Eichenwald, Newsweek, 09/29/2016)

To this day, Trump denies any knowledge of the trip to Cuba by his company's executives. "That afternoon, Trump was asked about (Eichenwald's ) article by a reporter in New Hampshire. 'No, I never did business in Cuba,' Trump said. 'I never did a deal in Cuba. I heard about it for the first time last night.'" (Kurt Eichenwald, Newsweek, 09/30/2016).

A former Trump employee thinks otherwise. "But Donald Trump, according to former company executives, knew about the Cuban trip. ('Do you honestly think any of Trump's top guys would spend $68,000 without clearing it with him?' one executive replied sarcastically when asked if Trump knew.)" (Kurt Eichenwald, Newsweek, 10/1/2016).

Some people see Trump's cunning and deviousness as a reason to vote for him. He will use these traits to the advantage of the American people. It's like making former bank robbers in charge of bank security because they know all about how to steal money from banks.

However, it is has been my experience, that wily, scheming, and deceitful people find it difficult to be selective in choosing victims. Just as Trump was less than forthright in his business dealings, so he would be in his relationships with the American public. The next person being lied to might be you.

Gary Patton is the author of two books, Selling Mt. Washington, a political satire, and Outtastatahs: Newcomers' Adventures in New Hampshire, a work of regional humor.