A company controlled by Republican United States presidential nominee Donald Trump secretly conducted business in Cuba in 1998, violating the US-imposed embargo on the island nation in the process, according to Newsweek.
Citing internal company records and court filings for Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, Newsweek reported on Saturday that Mr. Trump spent at least $68,000 to send representatives to Cuba that year, funnelling the money through a firm called Seven Arrows Investment and Development Corp.
“The goal of the Cuba trip, the former Trump executive says, was to give Trump’s company a foothold should Washington loosen or lift the trade restrictions,” Newsweek reported. “While in Cuba, the Trump representatives met with government officials, bankers and other business leaders to explore possible opportunities for the casino company.”
According to Newsweek, after the trip Seven Arrows officials instructed senior officers with Mr. Trump’s company how to make the expenditures appear legal by linking them to charitable efforts.
After Newsweek published its story on Mr. Trump’s Cuba connection on Saturday, his campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, appeared on the television show The View.
“They paid money, as I understand, in 1998,” she stated, adding that Mr. Trump never invested in Cuba.
“In that statement, Conway has acknowledged that Trump broke the law,” Newsweek stated in an update. “Paying the money for the business trip and meetings in Cuba — regardless of whether it resulted in an additional investment or casino deal — would directly violate the law.”
See the Oct. 6, 2016 edition for full coverage.
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