Panama City
Trump leans on government: Lawyers representing President Trump’s holding company asked Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela to intervene in a legal fight over a luxury hotel, warning of potential “repercussions for the Panamanian state” if he refused. The spat began last October when Orestes Fintiklis, majority owner of a Trumpbranded hotel in Panama City, sought to fire the Trump Organization, which had been managing the property. Fintiklis claimed the Trump brand was scaring away guests; Panamanian courts sided with Fintiklis, and in March, Trump employees were evicted from the building. Soon after, Trump lawyers sent the letter to Varela. The separation of powers forbids Panama’s executive from meddling in judicial cases. “This is about differences between businesses,” said Panama’s foreign ministry, “not a bilateral matter between governments.”