A trove of documents that leaked Tuesday reveal months of back-and-forth between longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and associate Felix Sater about a proposed Trump Moscow tower project – complete with architectural drawings and references to Vladimir Putin.
The documents, released by Buzzfeed, show former Trump tower executive Sater pitching the project, lining up financing, touting contacts to Putin in 2015 and 2016, and even praising a Trump press conference clip that he suggests be sent to Putin directly.
Included in the documents are sketches of proposed huge skyscraper with ‘Trump’ emblazoned on it.
In one Nov. 3, 2015 email Sater touts his own access and influence by invoking Trump daughter Ivanka Trump’s visit to Moscow. ‘Michael I arranged for Ivanka to sit in Putins private chair at his desk and office in the Kremlin I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected,’ he writes.
Longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s back-and-forth with an associate about a Trump Moscow tower project are contained in a newly revealed trove of documents
Sater also says he ‘Loved Putin/Russia reference,’ and asks for a clip of a Trump press conference to ‘cut into a short clip to be played for Putin.’
In a formal letter to Cohen – who has been sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to lying to Congress about the Moscow project as well as campaign finance violations – Russian investor Andrew Rozov describes the tower project, which never advanced beyond a formal letter of intent, in some detail. Cohen is assisting prosecutors.
‘It was a pleasure speaking with you on Friday. I am excited about the prospect of developing the Trump World Tower Moscow. The building design you sent over is very interesting and will be an architectual and luxury triumph,’ he wrote in a letter included in the leak. ‘I believe the tallest building in Europe should be in Moscow, and I am prepared to build it,’ Rozov wrote Sept. 29, 2015 in a letter forwarded electronically to Cohen by his financial advisor.
At the time Cohen was a top Trump advisor at the Trump Organization, working on financial projects while also giving press advice and serving as a ‘fixer’ on such matters as women who claimed they had affairs with Trump.
In recent months it has been revealed that discussions of the tower project continued through at least the summer of 2016, despite Trump’s denials of having any business in Russia. Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has allowed the possibility talks continued through November, although the project never advanced.
In January of 2016, at the height of the campaign primary season, the Russia-born Sater wrote Cohen: ‘Please get me both yours and DT’s travel dates I got another call this morning asking for it,’ in reference to a possible trip to Russia.
Ivanka Trump got to ‘spin in Putins Kremlin office chair’ on her Moscow trip and Kremlin visit, according to Sater, who took credit for arranging it on short notice
Former Trump executive Felix Sater seeks Donald Trump’s passport in order to line up visas for a trip to Russia in one document contained in the trove
Sater wrote Cohen: ‘See buddy I can not only get Ivanka to spin in Putins Kremlin office chair on 30 minutes notice, I can also get a full meeting’
Felix Sater (r) advised the Trump organization and was born in Russia. He touted his contacts and worked with Cohen to try to put together a Moscow deal
The documents contain frequent references to Russian President Vladimir Putin
On December 1, 2015, Sater aksed for a copy of Cohen’s passport ‘for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.’
While a full scan of Cohen’s passport is included, Trump’s is not.
DailyMail.com asked a Trump Organization attorney on Tuesday how the documents leaked to Buzzfeed.
‘Not us,’ the lawyer replied in an email.
In October of 2015, Sater wrote of ‘Kostic,’ described a Putin’s ‘top finance guy and CEO of 2nd largest bank in Russia,’ saying he was ‘on board and has indicated he would finance Trump Moscow.’ He also attached bio material on Andrewy Kostin, the banker he may have been referring to.
The two men exchanged sketches of the Trump World Tower Moscow proposal
The plan was to build the tallest building in Europe. Discussions for the Moscow project continued during Donald Trump’s campaign for president, with frequent mentions of Vladimir Putin in communications
‘Now all we need is Putin on board and we are golden,’ Sater wrote Cohen
As the deal fell apart, Cohen warned Sater he was ‘putting my job in jeopardy’ and fumed about a ‘bulls*** f***ing garbage invite’
Sater sought Cohen’s and ‘Donald’s passports’ for a meeting with Russian bank VTB
The two discussed details of the proect, as well as proposed Moscow trips
Here he also references Ivanka Trump. ‘See buddy I can not only get Ivanka to spin in Putins Kremlin office chair on 30 minutes notice, I can also get a full meeting.’
He was referring to a Moscow trip where Sater was accompanied by Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump. A photo of the trip surfaced in 2017 that shows Ivanka Trump wearing a fur coat on the streets of Moscow.
The documents also include a previously revealed ‘Letter of Intent’ laying out the details of a proposed business deal. It would allow the building or hotel operator to brand a spa as ‘The Spa by Ivanka Trump.’
Other than references to Donald Trump’s travel and documents, the cache doesn’t appear to contain information that would point to Trump’s knowledge about the project, or to Donald Trump Jr.’s.
By December 2015 Sater was asking for Cohen and Trump’s passports to line up invitations and visas by VTB Bank ‘to discuss financing for Trump Tower Moscow.’
But within days the deal was blowing up. ‘I have invested a lot of personal political capital, time and energy into getting this done … and am not sure what to do at this point,’ Cohen fumed. ‘But I guess I should have expected it.’
‘Should I be telling my people to cease and desist,’ he wrote in a text.
Real estate developer Andrey Rozov
He complained about press reports and says ‘my kids where [stet] upset with all their friends talking and asking about the story.’ He says ‘I ket my mouth shut for you and your team.’
By January of 2016, Cohen was fuming that the deal now involved a ‘third rate bank’ and a woman with ‘no title.’
‘Let me do this on my own,’ he demands, venting about a ‘bullshit letter from a third tier bank.’
‘You are putting my job in jeopardy and making me look incompetent,’ he complained, going off about a ‘bullshit f***ing garbage invite by some no name clerk at a 3rd tier bank.’
‘Enough!’ he wrote.
Sater pushes back that the meeting involves a VTB chairman, a minister, and Putin’s press secretary Dmitri Peskov.
‘I’m calling bullshit again,’ Cohen writes back. ‘Let me do this on my own.’
‘People went all the way to the boss for this,’ pleads Sater, not specifying who he means.
‘We’re done,’ responded Cohen.