NYT Reports Trump Administration Pick — And Tiffany Trump Father-in-Law — Is Not as Rich As He Claims
NBC
A report by The New York Times indicates that President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle Easter adviser, Massad Boulos, is not as rich as the public thought.
Boulos, a Lebanese-American, has a son who married Trump’s daughter Tiffany Trump. The president-elect has praised Boulos as an important “dealmaker” and “highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the international scene.”
Back in October, Boulos claimed his company was worth billions. However, the Times reported that Boulos has dedicated the last two decades to selling trucks and heavy machinery in Nigeria for a company controlled by his father-in-law.
Moreover, corporate filings indicate that the company, SCOA Nigeria PLC, made less than $66,000 in profit last year. The Times was unable able to find any evidence proving that Boulos was a man of significant wealth:
There is no indication in corporate documents that Mr. Boulos, a Lebanese-American whose son is married to Mr. Trump’s daughter Tiffany, is a man of significant wealth as a result of his businesses. The truck dealership is valued at about $865,000 at its current share price. Mr. Boulos’s stake, according to securities filings, is worth $1.53.
As for Boulos Enterprises, the company that has been called his family business in The Financial Times and elsewhere, a company officer there said it is owned by an unrelated Boulos family.
The Middle East advisory position that Boulos will take in the incoming Trump administration does not require approval from the Senate. According to The NYT, Boulos stated earlier this week that he has not visited the region in years.
The Times confronted Boulos about his alleged wealth back in October with a reporter asking, “Your company is described as a multibillion-dollar enterprise…Are you yourself a billionaire?”
Boulos responded by saying he did not like to describe himself as a billionaire and blamed the label on journalists who had given it to him over the years.
