Donald Trump Tried to Rewrite His Father's Will to Rescue His Failing Businesses: Report
As if we needed more proof of what an unethical pig he is.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-rewrite-fathers-will-fred-1149796
Donald Trump Tried to Rewrite His Father’s Will to Rescue His Failing Businesses: Report
By Ramsey Touchberry On 10/2/18 at 5:47 PM
Donald Trump tried to get his father, Fred Trump, to rewrite his will in a way that would have left the younger Trump the ability to bail out his own failing businesses, according to a New York Times investigation published Tuesday. The report alleged that the president averted hundreds of millions of dollars worth of taxes on money from his father's real estate empire in the 1990s.
Despite his father’s will having already been written by a top real estate lawyer, Trump had his own lawyers draft a new copy and sent it to his father in December 1990. Trump, according to The Times, sent his father a 12-page document and asked him to sign it immediately.
Sworn depositions made by unnamed members of the Trump family during a dispute over Donald Trump’s nieces’ and nephews’ inheritance were obtained by The Times. Those depositions reportedly showed that Fred Trump believed the document his son wanted him to sign would put his vast business empire at risk.
The document, according to The Times, would have protected Donald Trump’s portion of his father’s inheritance from the people to whom he owed money and from his ongoing divorce settlement with his first wife, Ivana Trump. Had his father signed the document, which he did not, it also would have given Donald Trump sole control over his dying father’s estate.
Fred Trump was, according to the sworn Trump family testimonies obtained by The Times, angered by his son’s attempt to rewrite his own will without his prior knowledge or consent. His father sought new estate lawyers to help prevent Donald Trump’s efforts to rewrite his will after he went to his daughter, Donald’s sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, for help. At the time, she was a federal judge who gave her father legal advice.
“This doesn’t pass the smell test,” Fred Trump reportedly told Maryanne, according to her deposition.
“Donald was in precarious financial straits by his own admission and Dad was very concerned as a man who worked hard for his money and never wanted any of it to leave the family,” Maryanne Trump Barry said.
more...
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-rewrite-fathers-will-fred-1149796
= new reply since forum marked as read
It's gone from suck to blow.
No I don't believe Donald had anything to do with his brother's death, but he did use it cement his relationship with their father's business interests. Originally the older brother Fred Jr. was supposed to be the "successful one" who was groomed to take over Fred Sr.'s business, but Fred Jr. showed no interest or talent in real estate management. (He became an airline pilot.)
After the death of Fred Jr. Donald tried to get the father's will rewritten because he wanted a bigger piece of the estate. Fred Sr.'s will split the estate between his 5 children, and deceased Fred Jr.'s share would go to his 2 surviving children. Instead Donald wanted the will rewritten to be split between the 4 living children and the children of Fred Jr. would only be given a small fixed amount. Lawyers and family members all fought this but apparently Donald got his way. (I don't remember the details.) There was another incident where Donald denied one of the Trump grandchildren medical insurance coverage from the family's estate. All of this nastiness happened in the 1990's which means the Trump siblings have had no "family closeness" for 25 years.
David Caye Johnston's books have outlined all of this, he's followed this story for most of his professional life.
