Trump Fundraiser Offered to Help Lift Sanctions on Russian Firms
Source: Bloomberg
*Elliott Broidy proposed work for clients of Moscow lawyer
*Pre-inauguration discussions didnt lead to Broidys hiring
Elliott Broidy, a top fundraiser for President Donald Trump, offered last year to help a Moscow-based lawyer get Russian companies removed from a U.S. sanctions list.
Broidy made the offer after an inquiry from Andrei Baev, an energy lawyer at Chadbourne & Parke LLP, both men acknowledged in statements to Bloomberg News this week. In a proposal sent to Baev shortly before Trumps January 2017 inauguration, Broidy sketched out a potential campaign to influence top U.S. officials, according to a person with knowledge of the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The plan never went forward, Broidy and Baev said, and no such lobbying took place. But the discussions are a striking illustration of how Russians efforts to escape sanctions led them to seek political allies close to Trump. Broidy, a Los Angeles money manager and deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in a written statement to Bloomberg that he didnt offer to personally set up meetings with top U.S. officials for Baevs clients. The White House didnt respond to a request for comment.
From the beginning I made it clear that while I would consider trying to help the firm build a team and to put them in touch with some experts, I am not a lobbyist and didnt plan on becoming one, Broidy said in a statement. I also made clear from the beginning that any arrangement we reached would need to be in full compliance with U.S. law. We never made any agreement, and the project never went anywhere. I never contacted any U.S. officials on behalf of Chadbourne or its clients and never had any contact with Chadbournes clients.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-23/trump-fundraiser-offered-to-help-lift-sanctions-on-russian-firms