The park was the gift, the frontage was the point: The sinister loophole behind Trump Tower Tbilisi

Published



Let me concede the point most coverage of Trump Tower Tbilisi has been built on, because the facts have moved past it. The tower is not rising on a parcel still held by Bidzina Ivanishvili’s foundation. Cartu — the fund tied to his family — sold it in July, and on Sept. 15, a spokesperson confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the final payment had been made.

That answers the question everyone has been asking: Who owns the ground under the tower? It leaves untouched the question almost no one has asked: how that ground came to be worth $85 million in the first place.

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.