One of the weird things about Donald Trump’s impeachment trial – which starts next week – is that I feel like all of the federal and state jurisdictions’ investigations into the Trump family have gone temporarily quiet. My dream was that the indictments would rain down starting on January 21st. But I think people are waiting to see what happens with the Senate trial, and then there will be moves beyond that, no matter what. Interestingly enough, Scotland is taking steps to investigate the Trump family’s shady financial situation right now. Donald Trump has poured a lot of money – none of it his own – into building up his Scottish golf resorts. And now Scotland wants to investigate the finances of those golf clubs, and Eric Trump is throwing a massive tantrum about it.

On the eve of a parliamentary vote on whether an investigation should be ordered into the financing of Donald Trump’s Scottish golf resorts, the former US president’s son has castigated politicians for “advancing their personal agendas”. Eric Trump issued the bulletin as the Scottish parliament prepares to host a debate called by Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens. The Trump Organization’s executive vice-president also described Harvie as a “national embarrassment”.

Harvie is urging the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, to seek an unexplained wealth order (UWO) in relation to Trump International, a course in Aberdeenshire, and the famous Turnberry resort in Ayrshire. If granted via courts, a UWO compels businesses or individuals to detail the source of their wealth.

“The Scottish government has tried to avoid the question of investigating Donald Trump’s wealth for far too long,” Harvie told The Scotsman. “There are serious concerns about how he financed the cash purchases of his Scottish golf courses, but no investigation has ever taken place. That’s why I’m bringing this vote to parliament. The government must seek an unexplained wealth order to shine a light on Trump’s shadowy dealings.”

On Tuesday, Eric Trump hit back. “Patrick Harvie is nothing more than a national embarrassment with his pathetic antics that only serve himself and his political agenda,” he said. “If Harvie and the rest of the Scottish government continue to treat overseas investors like this, it will deter future investors from conducting business in Scotland, ultimately crushing their economy, tourism and hospitality industries.”

Harvie is actually an opposition member of the Scottish parliament, with the Greens holding just five seats.

“At a critical time when politicians should be focused on saving lives and reopening businesses in Scotland, they are focused on advancing their personal agendas,” Eric Trump added. “As a company, The Trump Organization has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the Scottish economy, rescued Turnberry, a Scottish national treasure on the brink of collapse and rebuilt it into one of the finest resorts anywhere in the world. In both Aberdeen and Turnberry, the Trump Organization has created thousands of jobs and has made an overwhelming contribution to the leisure and tourism industry.

US prosecutors are investigating the Trump Organization’s finances and Trump’s tax liabilities, with significant loans to Trump by Deutsche Bank worth about $340m (£249m) that become repayable in 2023 and 2024. The Trump Organization has always been adamant that its Scottish golf courses were bought without any external financing. However, the New York Times reported that in 2016, during the presidential campaign, Trump sought a further loan from Deutsche Bank to fund his refurbishment of Turnberry, using his Doral resort in Miami as collateral.

[From The Guardian]

Despite Eric Trump’s delusional claims, the Trump family’s Scottish golf properties only employ about 625 staffers, some of whom were already let go because of the pandemic. And the Trumps have not paid any corporate tax in Scotland. All Eric Trump did was draw attention to all of this. I’ll admit, of all the Trump scandals, I understand that the financial crimes are probably what will end this family, but I’ve always found so much of it confusing. I don’t get why Deutsche Bank largely propped up Trump, well before his “presidency,” and I don’t understand how overextended Trump really is financially. I mean, the dude is mostly broke and has been for years, but he continued to get these massive loans which he never had to pay back. So yes, there should be an investigation and I applaud the Scottish peeps for getting the ball rolling.

Patrick Harvie’s response to Eric Trump’s statement tonight: “As entertaining as Eric Trump’s tantrum is, he doesn’t say where his dad got the money to buy his Scottish golf courses, which is exactly why I’m calling on the Scottish Government to seek an Unexplained Wealth Order.” https://t.co/XJRBPMKno3

— Martyn McLaughlin (@MartynMcL) February 2, 2021

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.