Beverly Hills Wants To Tear Down Donald Trump's Wall. The Secret Service Is Hedging

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/fahrenthold

It began with an anonymous tip. Trump's manager said the law was "ridiculous." Then the Secret Service got involved.

Link to tweet

OCT 18, 2017 @ 06:00 AM

Beverly Hills Wants To Tear Down Donald Trump's Wall. The Secret Service Is Hedging

Matt Drange , FORBES STAFF
I cover Donald Trump's business and follow the President's money

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF. -- The letter arrived via overnight mail, bearing the insignia of Donald Trump’s Los Angeles golf course and the signature of one of the president’s corporate lawyers. As responses to landscaping violations go, this one was unusual.

“Please be advised that while we are informed of the alleged municipal code violations and are paying the associated fines assessed, we believe that the hedges subject to the citation are a necessity for the provision of proper security to the owner and his family,” Trump’s attorney, Jill Martin, wrote in the July 17 letter. “As the owner and his family are protectees of the Secret Service, we have been notified by the Secret Service that they will be performing a threat and security assessment in the coming weeks to determine the necessity of the hedges.”

The problem? The hedge surrounding Donald Trump’s Beverly Hills mansion is well over the legally imposed limit and, in the eyes of the city, “a public nuisance.” In this ritzy Los Angeles suburb, most hedges over six feet tall require a permit. But Trump’s legal team has yet to provide the city with a letter from the Secret Service explaining why the law shouldn’t apply to his property.

As fines continue to mount, a routine case of municipal code enforcement has morphed into a showdown between the city, the president and the wall in his front yard. Inspection records, emails and other documents released by Beverly Hills in response to a public records request lay out the dispute in detail.

[DK504]

1. LOL.

This moron can't do anything that is either illegal or wildly unethical. Granted he will never pay those fines, hope they know that.

[Thomas Hurt]

2. first question has the fascist nutjob ever set foot in the place as president...

if not why does it have to comply with SS security standards.......

are we going to pay for threat and security assessments on every property with Donnie's name on it?

[forgotmylogin]

3. MR. PRESIDENT. TAER DOWN THIS WALL.

"I'm important, and therefore I shouldn't have to deal with this," is and has kind of been Fatass Donnie's excuse and modus operandi for his entire life.

Although he probably wouldn't use the word "therefore".

[Alice11111]

6. Just keep vandalizing it. Evey chance, every way, every place.

[Irish_Dem]

4. Walls: A Trump theme played over and over. Fitting.

That is how he operates, constantly burning bridges and building walls.

[safeinOhio]

5. Rulers are for little people.

There are loopholes for the rest.

[Jim Lane]

7. Much as I hate to be on Trump's side, or anywhere near it, about anything...

My first question is why this local ordinance even exists. So the busybodies running the local government don't like tall hedges. Too bad. For my part, as an environmentalist who is glad to see more greenery that will help sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide, I'd be more sympathetic to a requirement of minimum hedge height. Trump is doing the right thing, though certainly for the wrong reasons.