Page 76 of the Special Counsel Report and Page 84 on the PDF
d. Discussions about Russia Travel by Michael Cohen or Candidate Trump
(December 2015-June 2016)
Did anyone know Trump was traveling to Russia during that time of his candidacy?
i. Sater 's Overtures to Cohen to Travel to Russia
The late January communication was neither the first nor the last time that Cohen
contemplated visiting Russia in pursuit of the Trump Moscow project. Beginning in late 2015,
Sater repeatedly tried to arrange for Cohen and candidate Trump, as representatives of the Trump
Organization, to travel to Russia to meet with Russian government officials and possible financing
partners. In December 2015, Sater sent Cohen a number of emails about logistics for traveling to
Russia for meetings.358 On December 19, 2015, Sater wrote:
Please call me I have Evgeney [Dvoskin] on the other line. [359] He needs a copy of your
and Donald's passports they need a scan of every page of the passports. Invitations &
Visas will be issued this week by VTB Bank to discuss financing for Trump Tower
Moscow. Politically neither Putins office nor Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot issue
invite, so they are inviting commercially/ business. VTB is Russia's 2 biggest bank and
VTB Bank CEO Andrey Kostin, will be at all meetings with Putin so that it is a business
meeting not political. We will be invited to Russian consulate this week to receive invite
& have visa issued.360
In response, Cohen texted Sater an image of his own passport.361 Cohen told the Office that at one
point he requested a copy of candidate Trump's passport from Rhona Graff, Trump's executive
assistant at the Trump Organization, and that Graff later brought Trump's passport to Cohen's office.362 The investigation did not, however, establish that the passport was forwarded to Sater.363
Footnote 358 See, e.g., 12/1/15 Email, Sater to Cohen (12:41 p.m.) ("Please scan and send me a copy of your
passport for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.").
Footnote 359 Toll records show that Sater was speaking to Evgeny Dvoskin. Call Records of Felix Sater Grand Jury Dvoskin is an executive of Genbank, a large bank with lending focused
in Crimea, Ukraine. At the time that Sater provided this financing letter to Cohen, Genbank was subject to
U.S. government sanctions, see Russia/Ukraine-related Sanctions and Identifications, Office of Foreign
Assets Control (Dec. 22, 2015), available at https://www.treasury.gov/resource center/sanctions/OFAC Enforcement/Pages/20151222.aspx. Dvoskin, who had been deported from the United States in 2000 for
criminal activity, was under indictment in the United States for stock fraud under the aliases Eugene Slusker
and Gene Shustar. See United States v. Rizzo, et al., 2:03-cr-63 (E.D.N.Y. Feb. 6, 2003).
They all knew each other. They didn't care about past reputations. Trump is compromised by his antics of the past and present.I am quite certain none of this was disclosed and still is not disclosed. The bank is under sanctions and was during the entire time Trump was pursuing the Moscow Trump Tower and during his presidential campaign.
March 21, 2019
by Eric Umansky and Heather Vogel
One of Genbank’s owners is Yevgeny Dvoskin, (click here) a Russian-born financier who grew up in Brighton Beach at the same time as Sater. Dvoskin pleaded guilty to tax evasion in federal court in Ohio for the bootlegging scheme and spent time in prison. He was later deported to Russia, according to press accounts. In Russia, he remained tied to criminal networks, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. (We were unable to reach Dvoskin for comment.)...
Footnote 360 12/19/15 Email, Sater to Cohen (10:50 a.m.); FS00002 (12/19/15 Text Messages, Sater to
Cohen, (10:53 a.m.).
36 1 FS00004 (12/19/15 Text Message, Cohen to Sater); ERT_0198-256 (12/19/15 Text Messages,
Cohen & Sater).
Footnote 361 FS00004 (12/19/15 Text Message, Cohen to Sater); ERT_0198-256 (12/19/15 Text Messages,
Cohen & Sater)
Footnote 362 Cohen 9/12/18 302, at 5.
The passports became a matter of investigation. Allies, Terrorist networks, etc. Russia's interest went beyond a background check however, Trump and possibly Cohen were going to be meeting Putin.
Footnote 363 On December 21, 2015, Sater sent Cohen a text message that read, "They need a copy of DJT
passport," to which Cohen responded, "After I return from Moscow with you with a date for him." FS00004
(12/21/15 Text Messages, Cohen & Sater)
Into the spring of 2016, Sater and Cohen continued to discuss a trip to Moscow in
connection with the Trump Moscow project. On April 20, 2016, Sater wrote Cohen, " [t]he People
. wanted to know when you are coming?"364 On May 4, 2016, Sater followed up:
I had a chat with Moscow. ASSUMING the trip does happen the question is before or after
the convention. I said I believe, but don't know for sure, that's it's probably after the
convention. Obviously the pre-meeting trip (you only) can happen anytime you want but
the 2 big guys where [sic] the question. I said I would confirm and revert. . . . Let me
know about If I was right by saying I believe after Cleveland and also when you want to
speak to them and possibly fly over.365
Cohen responded, "My trip before Cleveland. Trump once he becomes the nominee after the
convention."366
So plans were being made for after Trump was the nominee. There was no putting anything on hold. There was a complete conflict of interest, but, running for president of the USA was not important enough to put his business interests on hold or assign them to someone in a blind trust. Trump was the focus of the trip. Cohen was to conduct a preliminary trip, but, ultimately Trump was the focus of the trip and he knew it. As a candidate Trump was compromised to the influence of Russia and he didn't care. The country came second and it still does.
The day after this exchange, Sater tied Cohen' s travel to Russia to the St. Petersburg
International Economic Forum ("Forum"), an annual event attended by prominent Russian
politicians and businessmen. Sater told the Office that he was informed by a business associate
that Peskov wanted to invite Cohen to the Forum.367 On May 5, 2016, Sater wrote to Cohen:
Peskov would like to invite you as his guest to the St. Petersburg Forum which is Russia's
Davos it's June 16-19. He wants to meet there with you and possibly introduce you to
either Putin or Medvedev, as they are not sure if 1 or both will be there.
This is perfect. The entire business class of Russia will be there as well.
He said anything you want to discuss including dates and subjects are on the table to
discuss[. ]
368
The following day, Sater asked Cohen to confirm those dates would work for him to travel; Cohen
wrote back, "[w]orks for me."369
362 Cohen 9/12/18 302, at 5.
363 On December 21, 2015, Sater sent Cohen a text message that read, "They need a copy of DJT
passport," to which Cohen responded, "After I return from Moscow with you with a date for him." FS00004
(12/21/15 Text Messages, Cohen & Sater).
364 FS00014 (4/20/16 Text Message, Sater to Cohen (9:06 p.m.)).
365 FS000l 5 (5/4/16 Text Message, Sater to Cohen (7:38 p.m.)).
366 FS00015 (5/4/16 Text Message, Cohen to Sater (8:03 p.m.)).
367 Sater 12/15/17 302, at 4.
368 FS00016 (5/5/16 Text Messages, Sater to Cohen (6:26 & 6:27 a.m.)).
369 FS00016 (5/6/ 16 Text Messages, Cohen & Sater).
On June 9, 2016, Sater sent Cohen a notice that he (Sater) was completing the badges for
the Forum, adding, "Putin is there on the 17th very strong chance you will meet him as well."370
On June 13, 2016, Sater forwarded Cohen an invitation to the Forum signed by the Director of the
Roscongress Foundation, the Russian entity organizing the Forum.371 Sater also sent Cohen a
Russian visa application and asked him to send two passport photos.372 According to Cohen, the
invitation gave no indication that Peskov had been involved in inviting him. Cohen was concerned
that Russian officials were not actually involved or were not interested in meeting with him (as
Sater had alleged), and so he decided not to go to the Forum.373 On June 14, 2016, Cohen met
Sater in the lobby of the Trump Tower in New York and informed him that he would not be
traveling at that time. 374
Den of thieves. One does not trust the other.
37° FS000 18 (6/9/16 Text Messages, Sater & Cohen).
371 6/13/16 Email, Sater to Cohen (2:10 p.m.).
372 FS00018 (6/13/16 Text Message, Sater to Cohen (2:20 p.m.)); 6/13/16 Email, Sater to Cohen.
373 Cohen 9/12/18 302, at 6-8.
374 FS00019 (6/14/16 Text Messages, Cohen & Sater (12:06 and 2:50 p.m.)).
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