PHILADELPHIA — American-Israeli real estate super-developer Moishe Mana has offered to donate $1 million to the charity of Donald Trump’s choice if the presidential candidate makes his tax returns public.
Mana, based in Miami, is somewhat of a Trump wannabe, relishing media attention while trying to develop his own public brand.
The mogul, who has pledged funds to Hillary Clinton, has not similarly offered to donate money for the release of the full financial history of the Clinton Foundation or the Clinton Global Initiative. He has also not joined the crusade to get Clinton to release transcripts of her speeches to Goldman Sachs and other major Wall Street firms.
Mana is founder of the well-known Moishe’s Moving Systems, one of the top moving companies in the Tri-State area. He also owns a conglomerate of other moving-tied companies, including Moishe’s Guarantee Asset Management, Mana Fine Arts, Moishe’s Guarantee Wine Storage, GRM Document Management, Moishe’s Self Storage and Moishe’s Mobile Storage.
Mana’s rage-to-riches story has been featured in numerous major media outlets over the years. The story has been told by the New York Times, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, the Daily News, Newsday and more. Mana’s rise has also been covered by NBC’s Today Show, the Arsenio Hall Show, Sally Jesse Raphael Show and Good Day New York.
He is somewhat of a media sensation in Israel, as well, where he has been the subject of numerous starry profiles.
The back story of Moishe’s Moving is summarized on the website of Mana’s moving company:
In 1983, we started as one man with a van — a red van. Then we were five men with two trucks, and then 30 men and five trucks — all red, of course. By 1990, we had become the largest independent moving company in New York City — with 100 movers, 40 red trucks and two storage facilities. Five years later, we were the largest moving company in the tri-state area.
Besides his moving business, Mana is a real estate developer and operates in some of the same markets as Trump’s firms, including New York, South Florida and New Jersey.
Mana has reportedly spent $198 million acquiring properties in downtown Miami.
The Miami New Times reported on his current Miami projects:
Mana, who owns the Mana Wynwood warehouse complex that hosts the III Points music festival every year, is battling to turn a vast swath of land in the south end of Wynwood into a microcity based on art and design, complete with 24-story rental towers. The City of Miami’s Design Review Board also approved Mana’s plans for a 49-story microliving skyscraper in downtown this week.
The Hill reported on Mana’s support for Clinton and the Democratic Party:
He said he voted for both parties in the past but began supporting Democrats their presumptive presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, this summer. He donated $33,400 earlier this year to the Democratic National Committee and says he will be cutting a six-figure check for Clinton next month.
He told the Hill that although he works in the same circles as Trump, he doesn’t know the billionaire personally:
He questioned the Trump campaign’s claims that the candidate is worth “in excess of 10 billion dollars.” Mana said that he believes Trump is worth no more than $200–300 million.
“We are both involved in the community of New York City, and I’ve known the history of Trump — stealing and lying and bankruptcies — and you know, I didn’t really care,” Mana said.
“But now when he really wants to go ahead and use his purposes on the country, this country will go bankrupt. Already, he’s got America on the vision for moral bankruptcy.”
With research by Brenda J. Elliott.
Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio.” Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook.
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