The friendship between president Donald Trump and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is well documented, but the commander in chief probably would like to avoid any connection whatsoever to Kraft’s ongoing legal troubles.
Whoops.
The Miami Herald published a report Friday indicating Trump hosted a Super Bowl watch party Feb. 3 at his West Palm Beach, Fla., country club, as Kraft’s Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Among the guests at Trump’s party, per the Herald: Li Yang, an entrepreneur who founded the Jupiter, Fla., massage parlor where authorities say Kraft paid for sex acts last month.
Yang, who even snapped a selfie with Trump and another woman at the Super Bowl bash, reportedly started a chain of Asia-themed day spas in South Florida in 2007. Her efforts reportedly included opening a Tokyo Day Spa in Jupiter that later became known as “Orchids of Asia Day Spa” after Yang sold it to another businesswoman, Hua Zhang, around 2013.
Sound familiar?
Kraft last week pleaded not guilty to two charges of soliciting prostitution. Authorities say the 77-year-old visited Orchids of Asia Day Spa on Jan. 19 and Jan. 20 — the second visit taking place the morning of New England’s AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs — and can be seen on camera paying for and receiving sex acts.
Although the name and ownership of the massage parlor has changed, the Miami Herald notes online reviews from before 2013 which suggest sex was for sale at the Tokyo Day Spa Jupiter location even before it became Orchids of Asia Day Spa. The decor hasn’t changed much, either, since Yang sold the place, the Herald points out, citing a photo from a Tokyo Day Spa Yelp review.
Yang was not charged in the anti-human-trafficking operation last month that shut down 10 Asia-themed day spas in Florida, none of which are registered to her or her family, according to the Miami Herald. All indications are she has had no involvement with Orchids of Asia Day Spa since the 2013 sale, instead pursuing a new life that reportedly includes an investment consulting business, a travel agency and a charity. But allegations of prostitution at that particular location predate 2013.
Is this all just a crazy coincidence?
No matter how you spin things, it’s a bad look for Trump, who said two weeks ago he was “very sad” and “very surprised” by the allegations against Kraft. The Patriots owner has denied any wrongdoing.
