New letter reopens Trump’s Panama hotel debacle – ThinkProgress
[ad_1] After new hotel management booted the Trump Organization from President Donald Trump’s former high-rise in Panama, the dramatic episode — which featured scuffles between security guards, police in body armor, and plummeting occupancy rates — appeared to be coming to a close. However, a letter issued in late March from a Panama-based law firm reopened the entire affair, and cast Trump’s involvement in a new light. The letter, first reported by the AP , was sent from the Britton & Iglesias law firm to Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela. In it, the lawyers point to potential repercussions for Panama should Varela not intervene in the Trump Organization’s favor. It’s unclear what specific steps the law firm wanted Varela to take, other than intervening in judicial affairs. While the letter doesn’t mention Trump, it hints that the White House might claim Panama was violating a bilateral investment treaty if it did not help the Trump Organization’s case at the building,...