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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAt Trump Tower, Michael Cohen and Oligarch Discussed Russian Relations
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/us/politics/michael-cohen-viktor-vekselberg-trump-tower.htmlLink to tweet
Eleven days before the presidential inauguration last year, a billionaire Russian businessman with ties to the Kremlin visited Trump Tower in Manhattan to meet with Donald J. Trumps personal lawyer and fixer, Michael D. Cohen, according to video footage and another person who attended the meeting.
In Mr. Cohens office on the 26th floor, he and the oligarch, Viktor Vekselberg, discussed a mutual desire to strengthen Russias relations with the United States under President Trump, according to Andrew Intrater, an American businessman who attended the meeting and invests money for Mr. Vekselberg. The men also arranged to see one another at the inauguration, the second of their three meetings, Mr. Intrater said.
Days after the inauguration, Mr. Intraters private equity firm, Columbus Nova, awarded Mr. Cohen a $1 million consulting contract, a deal that has drawn the attention of federal authorities investigating Mr. Cohen, according to people briefed on the inquiry.
Mr. Intrater said in an interview that Mr. Vekselberg, his cousin and biggest client, had no role in Columbus Novas decision to hire Mr. Cohen as a consultant. When asked about the meeting at Trump Tower during the presidential transition, Mr. Intrater described it as a brief and impromptu discussion, and said that Mr. Vekselberg had not originally planned to attend.
Obviously, if Id known in January 2017 that I was about to hire this high-profile guy whod wind up in this big mess, I wouldnt have introduced him to my biggest client, and wouldnt have hired him at all, Mr. Intrater said, adding that he had agreed to be interviewed about his dealings with Mr. Cohen because he had not done anything wrong.
The disclosure of the meeting sheds additional light on the intersection between Mr. Trumps inner-circle and Russians with ties to the Kremlin.
The meeting came after Mr. Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr., met at Trump Tower during the campaign with a Kremlin-linked lawyer claiming to have damaging information on his opponent, Hillary Clinton, and a former campaign aide, George Papadopoulos, met with Russian intermediaries in Europe. During the campaign, Mr. Cohen was pursuing a deal to build a Trump high-rise in Moscow, which did not come to fruition.
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At Trump Tower, Michael Cohen and Oligarch Discussed Russian Relations (Original Post)
sunonmars
May 2018
OP
he was busy out getting moolah for Trump. Thats what this whole "Presidency" is about
sunonmars
May 2018
#6
Used to be the heart of town....sure does look like Cohen sure does have a lot
Kirk Lover
May 2018
#8
Eliot Rosewater
(31,109 posts)1. If this was a democrat ONLY one word would be used to describe it
T
R
E
A
S
O
N
sunonmars
(8,656 posts)7. treason, corruption, rico, a thousand charges in there no doubt.
matt819
(10,749 posts)2. Everyone is a covfefe boy
And all of these meetings were meaningless and inconsequential. You know, these oligarchs and power brokers sure do waste a lot of time.
sunonmars
(8,656 posts)3. yeah, they dont know them, do they?
triron
(21,995 posts)4. Trying to hide pay to play.
kentuck
(111,078 posts)5. Michael Cohen was quite the busy fellow just before the election, wasn't he?
He was living on Shakedown Street.
sunonmars
(8,656 posts)6. he was busy out getting moolah for Trump. Thats what this whole "Presidency" is about
Kirk Lover
(3,608 posts)8. Used to be the heart of town....sure does look like Cohen sure does have a lot
of heart....well we about to go Aztec on these muthafuckas. Gonna be a joy to watch.