News / Revealed: Trump’s role in White House debacle
SHETLAND News can exclusively reveal why council staff were moved out of the SIC’s North Ness headquarters, colloquially known as “the White House”, last autumn.
Lawyers for US President Donald Trump ordered an investigation into the Shetland Islands Council-occupied building last year when it became apparent there was actually a chance he would win office.
Around 200 staff members were evacuated from the building in September and moved to other council offices, but confusion reigned over the exact reason why.
Our investigative team has now seen detailed email correspondence indicating a concerted attempt by the US administration to shut down any other “White House”, anywhere in the world, over apparent trademark issues relating to the Washington DC presidential headquarters of the same name.
It is another sign of Trump’s continuing difficulties in distinguishing the difference between running a garish property empire and a country.
Threatened with a lawsuit which would have seen the SIC out of pocket by millions of pounds in legal fees, the local authority reluctantly agreed to vacate the property while investigations got underway.
However, Shetland News has also learnt exclusively – along with two other local media outlets – that council staff will soon return to 8 North Ness because Trump’s team have lost interest in pursuing the case.
That appears to have happened after US lawyers scrutinised the lease agreement between the council and landlord Shetland Charitable Trust owned Shetland Leasing and Property Developments Limited (SLAP).
A source close to the Trump administration, speaking via a Russian intelligence agency, said their legal team had never seen anything like it.
“Not even in America is the tenant required to pay for major structural repairs on a property they don’t own, or even particularly like,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s really messed-up.”
The matter will be discussed during the first meeting of the new council, which will be held on 18 May.
Election candidates are already rallying to make their mark on the new council by promising an “open and frank” discussion without the need for a private seminar beforehand.
One long-suffering observer of local politics commented dryly: “In the unlikely event of that actually happening, it would be the first time since the days of Morgan Goodlad that councillors have discussed a matter of real public interest in a public forum.”
Asked how the council was going to deal with the ensuing media storm, corporate director Christine Ferguson replied: “Don’t worry, I’ve already emailed everybody.”
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