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Trump Tower Moscow: Active Negotiations During 2016 Campaign, Covered Up

The Trump Tower Moscow project involved Cohen emailing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's office in January 2016 seeking Putin's personal assistance advancing the project. Trump signed a letter of intent in October 2015. Negotiations continued through June 2016. Cohen testified to Congress in 2017 that negotiations ended in January 2016 — a lie he later admitted under oath. The project would have been the largest Trump deal ever, potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars and requiring Russian government approval. Throughout this period, Trump repeatedly denied any Russian business dealings and publicly advocated for lifting sanctions on Russia.

Record summary

Grade

Grade 4 of 5: Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Systematic actions that undermine fundamental constitutional or international legal protections at the structural level. Scale and definitions

Status
Concluded
Incident date
Record updated
Location
New York, NY / Moscow, Russia
Category
Corruption & Self-Dealing
Legal posture
Judicial finding
War-crime classification
Enabling conduct
Verification
Independently verified
ICC relevance
No
Sources
4 cited
Stable ID
trump-pre-presidency-tower-moscow-cohen-lie
Victims
American voters who were told Trump had no Russian business dealings while Trump was actively seeking Kremlin assistance on a major Moscow project; democratic integrity of the 2016 election; rule of law through documented perjury before Congress
Alleged responsible parties
  • Donald Trump, Candidate; signed letter of intent for Trump Tower Moscow in October 2015; knew of and approved negotiations continuing through the 2016 campaign while repeatedly denying Russian business dealings— Trump Organization / Trump Campaign
  • Michael Cohen, Trump's personal attorney; conducted negotiations with Kremlin-connected individuals including Felix Sater; emailed Kremlin spokesman; lied to Congress about timeline; pleaded guilty November 2018— Trump Organization

Key points

  • Trump signed a letter of intent for Trump Tower Moscow in October 2015, at the start of the Republican primary campaign; the project was intended to be the largest Trump-branded development ever built, with a proposed $50 million penthouse to be offered to Vladimir Putin as a gift or marketing tool
  • Cohen emailed Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's office on January 14, 2016 requesting Putin's personal intervention to advance the project; a Kremlin assistant responded; negotiations with Felix Sater — a real estate developer with Russian criminal connections and admitted FBI informant — continued at minimum through June 2016
  • Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump made approximately 140 pro-Russia statements and repeated denials of Russian business dealings: 'I have nothing to do with Russia. No deals, no loans, no nothing' — a statement Trump made publicly on multiple occasions while his attorney was negotiating with Kremlin officials
  • Cohen testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2017 that negotiations ended in January 2016 — false by his own later admission; Cohen pleaded guilty November 29, 2018 to making false statements to Congress, stating negotiations continued through at least June 2016
  • The Mueller Report concluded that the Trump Organization's pursuit of the Moscow project created a conflict of interest: Trump stood to benefit financially from Russian goodwill while simultaneously taking positions on Russia policy — including opposition to sanctions — during the campaign
  • Felix Sater, who coordinated the deal, sent Cohen a message in November 2015 stating: 'I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected'; Sater later said he believed Trump Tower Moscow would be the project that delivered the presidency; the implications of Russian leverage over a financially interested candidate were never fully resolved

Overview

While running for president on a platform that was conspicuously soft on Russia, Trump and his attorney were negotiating with the Kremlin to build the biggest project of Trump's career. Trump repeatedly told voters and journalists he had no Russian business dealings. His attorney lied to Congress about when negotiations ended. The truth came out in a guilty plea.

The Project

Trump Tower Moscow was not a peripheral project. It was intended to be the largest Trump-branded development ever built: a 100-story tower in central Moscow. The letter of intent Trump signed in October 2015 was followed by months of negotiations involving Felix Sater — a developer who had previously pleaded guilty to securities fraud and was a longstanding FBI informant with Russian connections — and communications with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's office.

One proposed element of the deal: a $50 million penthouse offered to Putin, either as a gift or as marketing. The idea was that Putin's association with the building would validate it and drive sales.

The Denials

During the same period, Trump made approximately 140 statements favorable to Russia and repeatedly denied any Russian business dealings. On multiple occasions during the campaign, he said: "I have nothing to do with Russia. No deals, no loans, no nothing."

The denials were false at the time he made them.

Cohen's Lie

When Cohen testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2017, he said negotiations ended in January 2016 — the implication being that the project had been abandoned before Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee. This framing allowed Trump to argue there was no meaningful conflict of interest during the campaign.

Cohen lied. Negotiations continued through June 2016. He pleaded guilty to that lie in November 2018.

The Conflict

The Mueller Report drew the conflict of interest plainly: Trump stood to benefit personally from Russian government approval while simultaneously taking public positions — including opposition to Russian sanctions — that would benefit the Russian government. Whether the sequence was coordinated or merely convenient, the financial interest existed and was hidden from voters.

A candidate who needs Kremlin cooperation to close the biggest deal of his life has leverage the Kremlin understands.

Update log

  1. Updated with Mueller Report findings and Cohen sentencing details.

Sequence of events

  1. Trump signs letter of intent for Trump Tower Moscow

    Trump signs a letter of intent with a Russian developer for Trump Tower Moscow. The project would be the largest Trump development ever and requires Kremlin cooperation. Trump is already leading Republican primary polls.

  2. Cohen emails Kremlin spokesman seeking Putin's help

    Cohen emails Dmitry Peskov's office at the Kremlin requesting Putin's personal intervention to advance the Trump Tower Moscow project. A Kremlin assistant responds and communications continue.

  3. Negotiations continue — primary effectively decided

    By June 2016, Trump has effectively secured the Republican presidential nomination. Negotiations on Trump Tower Moscow continue through at minimum this date, per Cohen's later guilty plea. Trump continues denying Russian business dealings publicly.

  4. Cohen lies to Congress — states project ended in January 2016

    Cohen testifies to Senate Intelligence Committee that Trump Tower Moscow negotiations ended in January 2016. The statement is false. Cohen will later plead guilty to this lie.

  5. Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress

    Cohen pleads guilty to making false statements to Congress about Trump Tower Moscow. He confirms negotiations continued through June 2016. He is subsequently sentenced to three years in prison.

  6. Mueller Report details full scope of conflict of interest

    The Mueller Report documents the Trump Tower Moscow negotiations and concludes they created a conflict of interest — Trump stood to benefit from Russian goodwill while simultaneously taking policy positions favorable to Russia during the campaign.

Sources

  1. Michael Cohen Admits Lying to Congress About Moscow Trump Tower — The New York Times
  2. Trump Tower Moscow: Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress — The Washington Post
  3. Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Trump Tower Moscow — The Associated Press
  4. Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election — U.S. Department of Justice (Mueller Report) archived ✓

How this record was published

Manually curated This entry was added directly and does not carry an automated audit trail.

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