The family business · 2016 campaign · № 11
Trump Organization executive asks Putin's press office for help with the Trump Tower Moscow project
“As this project is too important, I am hereby requesting your assistance.” Michael Cohen
- Date
- , Email to the office of Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, quoted in the Mueller report
- Subject
- Russia
- Benefit
- Real estate and licensing
- Government
- Russia
- Beneficiary
- Trump Organization
- Topic
- Ethics & conflicts
- Era
- 2016 campaign
What happened
Michael Cohen, then an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, emailed the office of Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin's press secretary, on January 14 and 16, 2016 to ask for help with the stalled Trump Tower Moscow project. On January 20, 2016 he spoke for about 20 minutes with Peskov's assistant, Elena Poliakova, and asked for help securing land and financing, according to the Mueller report. Cohen recalled briefing Trump about the call and updating him on the project as late as June 2016. In May 2016 Felix Sater relayed an invitation for Cohen to attend the St. Petersburg economic forum as Peskov's guest; Cohen did not go. The special counsel's office did not identify evidence of direct follow-up by the Russian government. Cohen later admitted he had falsely told Congress that the project ended in January 2016 and that he recalled no response from Peskov's office.
Sources
- Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election
- United States v. Michael Cohen, Information
- The Trump Organization Planned To Give Vladimir Putin The $50 Million Penthouse In Trump Tower Moscow
- Country and Territory Ratings and Statuses, 1973-2024
- Russia: Freedom in the World 2017 Country Report