The rabbit trail goes on and on.

The rabbit trail goes on and on.

     One tidbit that caught my eye was the assertion in Abramson's book that "In 2007, the parents of a longtime Elliott Broidy associate, Lisa Korbatov, purchase[d] a Rodeo Drive mansion for $10.5 million, taking a $200,000 loss" For decades, the property had been owned by the family of an African dictator. In March 2007, it sold for $10.5 million to a trust controlled by Leonard and Selma Fisch.
     The Fisches never lived in the home, Selma Fisch would say, but "they threw some big parties there". A year after buying it, records show they sold the mansion to a company called Global Management Alliance, (on a property that they had only recently purchased and that for which, as holders of the purchasing family trust, they had a fiduciary responsibility).

     Okay, a bad deal in a shaky market. Far enough. So far.

     While all of that is just a side note to the story he's telling, it seems Abramson could have fleshed out more details. There were reports earlier last year about investigations into the Trump inaugural committee's money raising activities and the potential for foreign interference via money contributions. Elliott Broidy, the man mentioned in his book features heavily in those investigations as does his one-time partner Lisa Korbatov.

      It gets better. Mokless Girgis, an Angelino of Egyptian decent, a man with little means and a history of financial scams, was the purchaser of the Fisches' property, paying $10.3 million - in cash. And, shortly thereafter, Girgis (who would later disclaim knowledge about any of this but would abscond) "transfer[ed] the property to Donald Trump - for free". A short time later the property was sold for $9.5 million.

     Now, that's quite a mouthful of facts and profits to digest and Abramson doesn't really do much with something that struck me as a red card infraction and well past the giggle test. The lawyer brokering the deal was their son-on-law Igor Korbatov (See? We're getting closer!) Selma Fisch would ultimately say that Trump had bought the house and she knew nothing about an Egyptian man being involved. The deal on the Rodeo Drive home, with its six bedrooms/six bathroom and half-acre lot with a pool, spa and tennis court, stands as a perfect metaphor for and is emblematic of the fascade that is Trump's world. All that glitters isn't gold. It's time we pierce that corporate corruption veil.

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