How Trump Tower Moscow fits into Russian interference
The recent guilty plea of Donald Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen revealed new details about efforts by the Trump Organization to land a lucrative business deal inside Russia.
The plea shows that Cohen was soliciting help from officials in the Russian government at a time when then-candidate Trump was praising Russian President Vladimir Putin and also disavowing any suggestion he was seeking to do business in Russia. On plenty of occasions throughout the campaign, Trump declared that he had “nothing to do with Russia.”
A timeline of 10 critical months casts new light on public statements and previously known activities that occurred while the Trump Tower Moscow proposal was still active. These details come from court filings, public statements, and reporting from CNN and other outlets.
September 2015
Efforts begin for Trump Tower Moscow project
Trump Tower Moscow activities
Cohen received a proposal from a Russian company to build Trump Tower Moscow. He started to explore the deal with help from former Trump business associate Felix Sater, according to court filings.
Donald Trump public comments
Trump praised Putin’s leadership in an interview with Fox News, saying, "I will tell you that I think in terms of leadership, he is getting an 'A,' and our president is not doing so well.”
October 2015
Trump signs letter of intent for Moscow deal
Trump Tower Moscow activities
Cohen told Trump about the Moscow proposal and Trump signed a non-binding letter of intent with a Russian company, according to court filings. The parties agreed to move forward with the project, which would have given the Trump Organization a $4 million upfront fee, and other perks.
Donald Trump public comments
Trump publicly expressed support for Russia’s military intervention in Syria. He repeated the Kremlin’s talking points that Russia was bombing ISIS, even though the Obama administration said that Russia was there to give a military boost to the Syrian dictator.
November 2015
Trump dismisses claims of Russian aggression
Trump Tower Moscow activities
Cohen and Sater continue working on the Trump Tower project. According to The New York Times, Sater told Cohen in an email: “Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process.”
Donald Trump public comments
At a Republican primary debate, Trump sidestepped a question about Russian aggression. Instead, he criticized President Barack Obama’s handling of Iran and North Korea.
December 2015
Trump continues praising Putin’s leadership
Meetings between Trump team and Russians
Before he became a Trump adviser, retired General Michael Flynn attended a gala in Moscow to honor RT, the Kremlin-controlled propaganda outlet. He was paid more than $30,000 for his appearance, which included a question-and-answer session.
Donald Trump public comments
In an interview, Trump again praised Putin’s leadership. He also dismissed allegations that Putin kills journalists and dissidents, saying, “I think our country does plenty of killing also.”
Interference by the Russian government
Putin complimented Trump, calling him a “bright and talented person, without any doubt," and saying that Trump has "an outstanding and talented personality." Trump released a statement in response, where he said Putin was “so highly respected within his own country and beyond,” and stressed that the US and Russia should work more closely together.
Interference by the Russian government
On social media sites, Russian-backed trolls started spreading misinformation about Clinton and openly advocating for Trump’s candidacy, according to a US intelligence report.
January 2016
Cohen talks to the Kremlin about Moscow deal
Trump Tower Moscow activities
Cohen reached out to the office of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asking for help moving the Moscow project forward, according to court filings. Cohen later spoke on the phone with Peskov’s assistant, who took notes and said she would follow-up with other people in Russia.
Donald Trump public comments
In an interview, Trump cast doubt on the findings of a British investigation, which concluded that Putin probably ordered the murder of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. Trump said: “I don't think they've found him guilty. If he did it, fine. But I don’t know that he did it.”
February 2016
Trump Tower Moscow project continues
Trump Tower Moscow activities
Cohen’s work on the Trump Tower Moscow project continued, despite Cohen’s misleading claims to Congress that he terminated the deal before the Republican primaries kicked off.
Donald Trump public comments
At a series of campaign rallies, Trump distanced himself from Putin. He said Putin was “very nice” to him, likely referring to the public compliments from a few months earlier. Trump also said, “I have no relationship with him other than he called me a genius.”
March 2016
Trump adds advisers with Russian ties
Interference by the Russian government
Russian military intelligence launched wide-scale hacking attacks relating to the US election. This included breaches against the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. Russian agents later passed on internal emails from the DNC and Podesta to WikiLeaks, which published thousands of documents later in the campaign.
Interference by the Russian government
Kremlin-controlled propaganda outlets, including RT and Sputnik, began promoting Trump’s candidacy. These English-language broadcasts and websites were targeted at US voters.
Donald Trump public comments
Trump added several advisers with Russian ties to his presidential campaign. He hired lobbyist Paul Manafort to manage delegate efforts ahead of the convention. He also named George Papadopoulos and Carter Page as advisers on his foreign policy team. The Justice Department and FBI have investigated all three aides for their Russian connections.
April 2016
Trump briefly meets Russian ambassador
Meetings between Trump team and Russians
Papadopoulos met with a Kremlin-connected professor, Joseph Mifsud, in London. Mifsud informed Papadopoulos that the Russian government had “dirt” on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the form of “thousands of emails,” according to court filings.
Donald Trump public comments
Before Trump delivered a major foreign policy address, he and his son-in-law Jared Kushner briefly met Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, along with a few other diplomats during a VIP reception for dignitaries. In the speech, Trump expressed hope for better relations with Russia, saying, “I believe an easing of tensions and improved relations with Russia – from a position of strength – is possible.”
Trump Tower Moscow activities
Starting in April and continuing for several months, the Russian government extended a group of trademarks belonging to the Trump Organization, according to The New York Times. For years, Trump’s company owned Russian trademarks for terms including “Trump Tower.”
May 2016
Trump becomes presumptive nominee
Trump Tower Moscow activities
Cohen and Sater discussed the possibility of Cohen and Trump traveling to Russia to work on the Moscow project. Cohen agreed to go before the Republican National Convention in July, and told Sater that Trump would make the trip after the convention, according to court filings. Cohen discussed these plans with Trump.
Donald Trump public comments
Trump was asked in a Fox News interview about his past claims that he once met with Putin, but he dodged the question. Trump said: “I don’t want to comment because, let’s assume I did. Perhaps it was personal. You know, I don’t want to hurt his confidence. But I know Russia well.”
Donald Trump public comments
Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee after all his opponents dropped out. He also promoted Manafort to serve as campaign chairman, expanding his influence.
Meetings between Trump team and Russians
At a dinner during the National Rifle Association convention, Donald Trump Jr. briefly met Alexander Torshin, a prominent Russian banker and lawmaker. Torshin was later named as the handler of accused Russian agent Maria Butina as she infiltrated US political circles.
Meetings between Trump team and Russians
Manafort met in the US with a business associate from his Ukraine lobbying work, according to news reports. The Soviet-born associate, Konstantin Kilimnik, is suspected of having active ties to Russian intelligence, according to court filings from special counsel Robert Mueller.
June 2016
Moscow deal dies as Trump-Russia ties ramp up
Meetings between Trump team and Russians
Trump Jr., Kushner and Manafort met at Trump Tower with a group of Russians who were said to have “official documents and information that would incriminate” Clinton. In testimony to Congress, the participants said nothing came from the roughly 30-minute meeting.
Trump Tower Moscow activities
Cohen filled out travel forms and continued planning his trip to Russia, according to court filings. But Cohen abruptly cancelled the visit and told Sater about his decision at a meeting in the Trump Tower lobby. This is when plans finally fizzled out to build a Trump-branded tower in Moscow.
Interference by the Russian government
A cybersecurity firm hired by the DNC publicly announced for the first time that the Democratic group was breached by Russian government hackers. Shortly after that, a shadowy online persona called Guccifer 2.0 started to publish hacked materials. US intelligence later said Guccifer 2.0 was a fake persona operated by Russian agents.
Denials
Trump and his associates adamantly deny colluding with the Russian government. Putin says the Kremlin never interfered in the 2016 election. Trump also said Cohen is a liar who was pressured by Mueller to undermine his presidency, and that any business projects in Russia were entirely legal. Putin also denies any involvement in the killing of Litvinenko, the ex-spy.
Published December 1, 2018, 12:30 p.m. et.
