Trumps business sought deal on a Trump Tower in Moscow while he ran for president

[deminks]

Source: Washington Post

While Donald Trump was running for president in late 2015 and early 2016, his company was pursuing a plan to develop a massive Trump Tower in Moscow, according to several people familiar with the proposal and new records reviewed by Trump Organization lawyers.

As part of the discussions, a Russian-born real estate developer urged Trump to come to Moscow to tout the proposal and suggested that he could get President Vladimir Putin to say “great things” about Trump, according to several people who have been briefed on his correspondence.

The developer, Felix Sater, predicted in a November 2015 email that he and Trump Organization leaders would soon be celebrating — both one of the biggest residential projects in real estate history and Donald Trump’s election as president, according to two of the people with knowledge of the exchange.

Sater wrote to Trump Organization Executive Vice President Michael Cohen, “something to the effect of, ‘Can you believe two guys from Brooklyn are going to elect a president?’ ” said one person briefed on the email exchange. Sater emigrated from what was then the Soviet Union when he was 6 and grew up in Brooklyn.

(snip)

Nevertheless, the details of the deal, which have not previously been disclosed, provide evidence that Trump’s business was actively pursuing significant commercial interests in Russia at the same time he was campaigning to be president — and in a position to determine U.S.-Russia relations. The new details from the emails, which are scheduled to be turned over to congressional investigators soon, also point to the likelihood of additional contacts between Russia-connected individuals and Trump associates during his presidential bid.

(end snip)

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/politics/trumps-business-sought-deal-on-a-trump-tower-in-moscow-while-he-ran-for-president/2017/08/27/d6e95114-8b65-11e7-91d5-ab4e4bb76a3a_story.html

[kacekwl]

1. Since November 8th

I've been asking myself how did this happen. It defies all logic and should never been allowed to happen.

[nycbos]

2. I am SHOCKED SHOCKED to find gambling going on here.

[Stuart G]

4. How about this scene from Casablanca...about gambling in here

[nycbos]

9. Thats what I thought of when I wrote my comment.

Your winnings sir.

[Honeycombe8]

14. LOL! Good scene. nt

[Stuart G]

3. OOPS...not nice.....trying to make money on running for President of the United States...

..not good.. ...no, no......

It will weaken his leadership some more...a little more...this will not go over well with most people..
.................cutting deals with Russia while running for highest office.......

. ....This show has more acts then I originally thought...another box please

[Honeycombe8]

15. His supporters won't believe it. It's "fake news."

It looks bad and sounds bad. But the really bad thing is that that is an incentive for him to be in cahoots w/Putin & Russia...he wants something, they want something.

It also is proof of close communications between the Trump team and Russians.

Profiteering? Meh...he's profiteering almost daily right in front of our eyes, and most don't seem to care (if they even believe it).

[riversedge]

5. I am surprised this seems to have been keep so secret for so long.

[riversedge]

6. Trump: "for the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia

............Donald Trump Jr. organized a June 2016 meeting with campaign aide Jared Kushner, campaign manager Paul Manafort and a Russian lawyer after the president’s eldest son was promised that the lawyer would bring damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help the campaign.

Internal emails also show campaign adviser George Papadopoulos repeatedly sought to organize meetings with campaign officials, including Trump, and Putin or other Russians. His efforts were rebuffed.

The negotiations for the Moscow project ended before Trump’s business ties to Russia had become a major issue in the campaign. Trump denied having any business connections to Russia in July 2016, tweeting, “for the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia” and then insisting at a news conference the following day, “I have nothing to do with Russia.”

Discussions about the Moscow project began in earnest in September 2015, according to people briefed on the deal. An unidentified investor planned to build the project and, under a licensing agreement, put Trump’s name on it. Cohen acted as a lead negotiator for the Trump Organization. It is unclear how involved or aware Trump was of the negotiations................

[Skittles]

7. but......HER EMAILS!!!

[JoeOtterbein]

8. The deal was great! Trump got to be Putin's Puppet and got a hotel for the Kremlin Klan!

[BadgerMom]

10. K and R

The Republicans own this. They willingly looked away in order to gain power at the expense of the country. I don't accept one more word from them about their patriotism. They don't know what it is.

[bluestarone]

11. amen

amen

[tiptonic]

12. Comrade

Can we say 'Comrade Benedict donald'? How much evidence do they need, to get rid of this traitor?

[Ccarmona]

13. This Might Be Mueller's First Leak

"The new details from the emails, which are scheduled to be turned over to congressional investigators soon."

It couldn't have come from Congress, so where did the tip to the Post come from?
Also WH has referred all inquiries to Trump's Lawyer's Lawyer.

[Honeycombe8]

16. Good question. Mueller himself isn't leaking.

He wouldn't jeopardize the investigation in that way. He's also a straight arrow, it seems. He goes by the book, seems to me.

So where did it come from? Well...who has the emails right now? The W.H.? Hmmmmm.

[Juliusseizure]

17. This could be initial drop for huge story

For a full blown analysis, check @SethAbramson on twitter. This may be the first of several big stories to show Trump's Russia policy was based on secret business deal with Putin to initially acquire a Trump Tower in Russia replaced with a .5 share in Rosneft oil deal.

There's a big buzz on this one.