Trump Contradicts Himself Again About Russia
Fact Check of the Twenty-four hours
Trump Denies Business Dealings With Russia. His Former Lawyer Contradicts Him.
For years, the president has denied that he had any business interests in Russia during the 2022 election. His former personal lawyer now says otherwise.
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The Many Times Trump Denied Ties to Russia
During the 2022 presidential campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly denied having business concern ties to Russia. At present that the president's former lawyer has confessed to lying to Congress about a program to build a tower in Russia, Trump's story has changed.
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"I have nothing to do with Russia. I have — John, John, how many times do I have to say it? Are you a smart man? I have zilch to do with Russia. I have no relationship to Russia whatever." "No debts?" "No debts — I have very trivial debt to anybody. I don't deal there. I have no businesses there. I have no loans from Russian federation. I have nada to do with Russia, folks. O.Thou.? I'll give you a written statement — zippo to do. First of all, I don't know Putin. Have no business whatever with Russia. Have zilch to do with Russia. They said maybe Donald Trump is involved in projects with the Russians. The answer is no, no. So he'south lying well-nigh a project that everybody knew about. I mean, nosotros were very open with it."
On Thursday, after Michael D. Cohen revealed new data about the Trump Organisation'south business concern dealings with Russia, President Trump called his quondam personal lawyer a liar.
"He is a weak person," Mr. Trump told reporters at the White Business firm. He added: "Very simply, Michael Cohen is lying." He was referring to Mr. Cohen pleading guilty to lying to Congress nearly a real estate deal to build a tower in Moscow.
Simply Mr. Trump, who is identified as "Individual 1" in court documents that accompanied Mr. Cohen'southward admission, was himself less than forthcoming virtually the prospective real manor project during the 2022 campaign.
At no time did Mr. Trump disembalm that the Trump Organization had entered negotiations for the belongings, known equally the Moscow Project. And testify presented in the documents filed on Thursday contradicts Mr. Trump'due south repeated denials of his financial interests in Russia and his playing down of campaign contacts with Russian officials .
According to the documents, Mr. Cohen pursued the project through June 2022 — as Mr. Trump's presidential campaign gained momentum. At the fourth dimension, Mr. Cohen served as executive vice president and special counsel for the Trump Organization, which he joined in 2007; he also was a frequent public mouthpiece for the Republican front-runner'due south entrada.
Here is the special counsel's account of the Trump Organization's efforts to build the Moscow tower, based on new data from Mr. Cohen, compared with what Mr. Trump has said about it.
[ Yous tin can find the court documents hither. ]
What The Charges Say
The Moscow Project was discussed multiple times within the Company and did not end in Jan 2016. Instead, equally belatedly equally approximately June 2016, COHEN and Individual 2 discussed efforts to obtain Russian governmental approval for the Moscow Project. COHEN discussed the status and progress of the Moscow Project with Individual ane on more the 3 occasions COHEN claimed to the Committee, and he briefed family members of Individual 1 within the Company about the project.
What Mr. Trump Said
"I have nothing to do with Russian federation. I never did."
On at least 23 occasions since the summer of 2016, M r. Trump has said either that he had "nothing" to do with Russia, or that he has "no deals," no investments and no "business" in Russia.
While the Moscow Project never materialized, Mr. Trump never disclosed that he had pursued the deal while running for president. In several instances, his denials were misleading past omission.
"What do I have to practise with Russian federation? You know the closest I came to Russia, I bought a house a number of years ago in Palm Embankment, Fla.," Mr. Trump said at a news briefing on July 27, 2016, referring to a mansion he sold to a Russian businessman for $95 million in 2008.
Mr. Trump besides repeatedly sought business opportunities in Russian federation over three decades.
(Repetitions in 2018: Oct. 29, Sept. 7, July 20, July nineteen, July 18, | Repetitions in 2017: July 25, July nineteen, May 13, May eleven, February. 16, February. vii, Jan. 11, Jan. 11 | Repetitions in 2016: Oct. 27, Oct. 26, October. 25, October. 24, Oct. 12, Oct. 9, Sept. 16 , July 31, July 26)
What the charges say
COHEN did recall that in or around January 2016, COHEN received a response from the office of Russian Official 1, the Press Secretary for the President of Russia, and spoke to a member of that office about the Moscow Project.
What Mr. Trump Said
"There was no talking to Russian federation. There w as no phone calls."
Mr. Cohen admitted that he chosen the assistant to the Russian president's spokesman, at a Moscow-based telephone number, and spoke with her about the proposed tower.
Mr. Trump, however, has said at to the lowest degree six times that nobody on his campaign spoke to whatsoever Russians. He also has contradicted himself on that point, by describing aides who take admitted to having contact with Russians as "low level" or only briefly employed.
Asked by a reporter on Feb. xvi, 2017, whether he was enlightened if anyone who advised his entrada had contacts with Russia during the campaign, Mr. Trump said his erstwhile national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, "obviously was dealing."
But other than Mr. Flynn, "no, no, nobody that I know of," Mr. Trump answered.
"I have nothing to exercise with Russia," he said. "To the all-time of my knowledge, no person that I bargain with does."
(Repetitions in 2018: Oct. 16, Sept. 7, July 18 | Repetitions in 2017: Dec. fifteen, February. 27)
What the charges say
COHEN agreed to travel to Russia in connection with the Moscow Projection and took steps in contemplation of Individual 1's possible travel to Russia. COHEN and Individual 2 discussed on multiple occasions traveling to Russia to pursue the Moscow Project.
What Mr. Trump Said
"He brings his passport to my office. I say, 'Hey, wait a minute. He didn't leave the country. He wasn't out of the country.' They had, 'Michael Cohen of the Trump System was in Prague.'"
At a news conference on January. xi, 2017, Mr. Trump dismissed a salacious dossier that, amid other things, claimed that Mr. Cohen had traveled to Prague to meet with Russian officials.
While in that location is no proof that Mr. Cohen went to Prague on Mr. Trump's behalf, the lawyer did consider traveling to Russia, according to the charging documents.
According to the documents, Mr. Cohen asked Mr. Trump virtually the possibility of Mr. Trump himself traveling to Russia "in connectedness with the Moscow Project." Mr. Cohen also discussed going to Russia himself.
Kitty Bennett contributed inquiry.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/29/us/politics/fact-check-cohen-trump-.html
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