Trump’s business ties to Russia stretch back more than 30 years, from big building projects to beauty pageants

Trump’s business ties to Russia stretch back more than 30 years, from big building projects to beauty pageants



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President Donald Trump’s intense interest in developing luxury real estate in Moscow stretches back decades, according to court documents, his public statements and interviews the president gave before moving into the White House.

Trump's long-standing ties to Russia are back in the spotlight because his former lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to Congress in connection with the Justice Department's special counsel probe into whether Trump or any members of his inner circle colluded with Russia during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The investigation has been going on for 18 months. 

Cohen, who previously pleaded guilty to tax fraud and other campaign-related financial violations, admitted making false statements to lawmakers about the timing of Trump’s efforts to develop a Trump Tower in Moscow. The development is potentially significant because Trump has consistently denied any financial ties to Russia. 

Trump called Cohen a "weak person" and accused him of providing false testimony to get a reduced sentence from special counsel Robert Mueller. 

“He’s got himself a big prison sentence. And he’s trying to get a much lesser prison sentence by making up this story,” said Trump as he left Washington for a Group of 20 economic summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. "He's lying about a project that everybody knew about. I mean, we were very open about it."