President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Friday to defend the Moscow building project that he “lightly” considered while running for president in 2016.
Trump’s Moscow project made it back into the news after Michael Cohen, his former attorney, pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to making false statements related to the project before a Senate committee.
“Oh, I get it! I am a very good developer, happily living my life, when I see our Country going in the wrong direction (to put it mildly). Against all odds, I decide to run for President & continue to run my business-very legal & very cool, talked about it on the campaign trail…….Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia. Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn’t do the project. Witch Hunt!” Trump tweeted.
Oh, I get it! I am a very good developer, happily living my life, when I see our Country going in the wrong direction (to put it mildly). Against all odds, I decide to run for President & continue to run my business-very legal & very cool, talked about it on the campaign trail…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2018
….Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia. Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn’t do the project. Witch Hunt!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2018
Trump-Russia back in the spotlight
What is known about the project is not much, and that seems to be because it never really got off the ground. Trump isn’t kidding when he says that he “lightly looked at doing a building.” Those around him appear to have been considering it much more seriously than he was.
According to reports, the idea for a Trump building in Moscow was being evaluated in October of 2015. At that time, a Russian real estate developer named Andrey Rozov apparently sent a signed letter of intent to Cohen to begin construction on a Trump World Tower that would include 15 floors of luxury condos, a fitness center, and a spa.
Among those who were trying to push the project through was Felix Sater, a business associate of Trump’s. “Let’s make this happen and build a Trump Moscow,” Sater said to Cohen. “And possibly fix relations between the countries by showing everyone that commerce and business are much better and more practical than politics.”
Sater later explained his idea to Buzzfeed News, saying:
In Russia, the oligarchs would bend over backwards to live in the same building as Vladimir Putin. My idea was to give a $50 million penthouse to Putin and charge $250 million more for the rest of the units. All the oligarchs would line up to live in the same building as Putin.
According to a Fox News insider, Trump was unaware of Sater’s plan, and what’s more is that he would have considered it “stupid.”
Regardless, Trump himself defended the Moscow project, arguing that “there would be nothing wrong if I did do it.” He explained:
I was running my business while I was campaigning. There was a good chance that I wouldn’t have won, in which case I would have gone back into the business, and why should I lose lots of opportunities?
Cohen’s lies
Once a staunch defender of Trump, Cohen has been cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as well as Trump-Russia conspiracy.
Cohen has now admitted that he lied to a Senate committee about the Moscow project, first telling them that it died in January 2016, then admitting it was still in consideration until at least June. Cohen is also on the record as saying that he lied about not discussing with Trump plans to travel to Russia. Although Trump and Cohen never did make that trip, published text messages show that Cohen did discuss it with Sater, telling him that he could make the trip before the Republican convention and Trump would follow thereafter.
As for his role in the Moscow project, Cohen says that he discussed it with Trump and with members of the Trump family on several occasions. And, prosecutors allege that, in January 2016, he contacted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov for help.
Not Crimes
Trump, on Friday, completed his Twitter defense by quoting two others on his behalf: Fox’s Gregg Jarrett and legal scholar Alan Dershowitz.
“This demonstrates the Robert Mueller and his partisans have no evidence, not a whiff of collusion, between Trump and the Russians. Russian project legal. Trump Tower meeting (son Don), perfectly legal. He wasn’t involved with hacking.” Gregg Jarrett. A total Witch Hunt!” Trump tweeted.
“This demonstrates the Robert Mueller and his partisans have no evidence, not a whiff of collusion, between Trump and the Russians. Russian project legal. Trump Tower meeting (son Don), perfectly legal. He wasn’t involved with hacking.” Gregg Jarrett. A total Witch Hunt!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2018
“Alan Dershowitz: “These are not crimes. He (Mueller) has no authority to be a roving Commissioner. I don’t see any evidence of crimes.” This is an illegal Hoax that should be ended immediately. Mueller refuses to look at the real crimes on the other side. Where is the IG REPORT?” the president tweeted.
Alan Dershowitz: “These are not crimes. He (Mueller) has no authority to be a roving Commissioner. I don’t see any evidence of crimes.” This is an illegal Hoax that should be ended immediately. Mueller refuses to look at the real crimes on the other side. Where is the IG REPORT?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2018
Months into his investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller has still produced nothing that would even remotely implicate Trump in election collusion with Russia.
Despite this, the left, who are still dreaming of a Trump impeachment, are keeping the possibility alive. Baseless as it is, Trump understands that some will continue to believe it, which could have political consequences down the road — and that is why he took to Twitter to get ahead of this one.
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