Trump took $17 million in insurance for damage few remember

[Liberal_in_LA]

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump said he received a $17 million insurance payment in 2005 for hurricane damage to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, but The Associated Press found little evidence of such large-scale damage.

Two years after a series of storms, the real estate tycoon said he didn't know how much had been spent on repairs but acknowledged he pocketed some of the money. Trump transferred funds into his personal accounts, saying that under the terms of his policy, "you didn't have to reinvest it."

In a deposition in an unrelated civil lawsuit, Trump said he got the cash from a "very good insurance policy" and cited ongoing work to the historic home.

"Landscaping, roofing, walls, painting, leaks, artwork in the — you know, the great tapestries, tiles, Spanish tiles, the beach, the erosion," he said of the storm damage. "It's still not what it was."

Trump's description of extensive damage does not match those of Mar-a-Lago members and even Trump loyalists. In an interview about the estate's history, Trump's longtime former butler, Anthony Senecal, recalled no catastrophic damage. He said Hurricane Wilma, the last of a string of storms that barreled through in 2004 and 2005, flattened trees behind Mar-a-Lago, but the house itself only lost some roof tiles.

"That house has never been seriously damaged," said Senecal, discussing Mar-a-Lago's luck with hurricanes. "I was there for all of them."

Just over two weeks after Wilma, Trump hosted 370 guests at Mar-a-Lago for the wedding of his son Donald Jr.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Trump-took-17-million-in-insurance-for-damage-10164550.php

[PSPS]

1. Trump Twitter Prediction: "I don't even know this Senecal guy! What a loser. Sad!"

[jberryhill]

2. One would imagine the insurance company would be most interested in this

Somehow I doubt there are many insurance companies that are in the business of just cutting checks.

"That house has never been seriously damaged"

Which is sort of beside the point, given that it is a golf course and beach resort.

[scscholar]

3. He must have paid-off the adjuster

When I had $175 worth of damage to my scooter, USAA (a crooked company to its core) sent out someone to verify the damage. Then, it took me over two years to collect. I'm sure they sent someone to view the damage before writing a check that large.

[jberryhill]

4. Repairing a beach is not cheap

[scscholar]

5. Not really, the Alaskan Way Seawall here in Seattle is only about a billion to update

And that's only because of the criminals we have ruling our city. I'm sure his beach isn't as big as our seawall.

[jberryhill]

6. In what way does that comparison make any sense?

You are comparing some portion of 17 million to a billion.

Do you understand that a billion is a thousand millions?

http://www.beachapedia.org/Beach_Fill

These researchers estimated that the future 10-year costs of “renourishment” all the developed shorelines in New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida were $4.4 billion (1996 dollars). This study found that the average cost per mile in these states would be $5.5 million per mile.

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[scscholar]

7. Yes. He must be lying because our seewall is about 7,200 feet long...

and I'm sure his beach isn't anywhere near that big.

[jberryhill]

8. So his insurance company is really, really stupid, correct?

[TeamPooka]

9. Is there something wrong with a President who commits insurance fraud for profit?

Not if you're Republican.