Between November 18 and 19, 2015,-Klokov and Cohen had at least one telephone call
and exchanged several emails. Describing himself in emails to Cohen as a "trusted person" who
could offer the Campaign "political synergy" and "synergy on a government level," Klokov
recommended that Cohen travel to Russia to speak with him and an unidentified intermediary.
Klokov said that those conversations could facilitate a later meeting in Russia between the
candidate and an individual Klokov described as "our person of interest."337 In an email to the
Office, Erchova later identified the "person of interest" as Russian President Vladimir Putin. 338
In the telephone call and follow-on emails with Klokov, Cohen discussed his desire to use
a near-term trip to Russia to do site surveys and talk over the Trump Moscow project with local
developers. Cohen registered his willingness also to meet with Klokov and the unidentified
intermediary, but was emphatic that all meetings in Russia involving him or candidate Trump-
including a possible meeting between candidate Trump and Putin-would need to be "in
conjunction with the development and an official visit" with the Trump Organization receiving a
formal invitation to visit. 339 (Klokov had written previously that "the visit [by candidate Trump
to Russia] has to be informal.")340
That is a conspiracy to defraud. The trip to Moscow had two agendas, the Moscow Trump Tower and Putin's involvement in the 2016 elections. Kindly remembe3r, this is the end of 2015. Putin already had his own efforts to undermine the USA democracy in full swing. So, this meeting is like frosting on the cake. It would fit right into Putin's plans.
Klokov had also previously recommended to Cohen that he separate their negotiations over
a possible meeting between Trump and "the person of interest" from any existing business track. 341
Re-emphasizing that his outreach was not done on behalf of any business, Klokov added in second
email to Cohen that, if publicized well, such a meeting could have "phenomenal" impact " in a
business dimension" and that the "person of interest['s]" "most important support" could have
significant ramifications for the " level of projects and their capacity." Klokov concluded by telling Cohen that there was "no bigger warranty in any project than [the] consent of the person of
interest."342
Wow. The Trump Campaign was walking right into the plans of Vladimir Putin, including floating the idea all is possible on a permanent basis if Trump and Putin were to meet. Carrot and stick.
Cohen rejected the proposal, saying that "[c]urrently our LOI developer is in talks
with VP's Chief of Staff and arranging a formal invite for the two to meet."343 This email appears
to be their final exchange, and the investigation did not identify evidence that Cohen brought
Klokov' s initial offer of assistance to the Campaign's attention or that anyone associated with the
Trump Organization or the Campaign dealt with Klokov at a later date. Cohen explained that he
did not pursue the proposed meeting because he was already working on the Moscow Project with
Sater, who Cohen understood to have his own connections to the Russian government.344
Sater was a known commodity to Cohen and the Trump interests.
337 11 /18/15 Email, Klokov to Cohen (6:51 a.m.).
338 In July 2018, the Office received an unsolicited email purporting to be from Erchova, in which
she wrote that "[a]t the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016 I was asked by my ex-husband to contact lvanka
Trump . .. and offer cooperation to Trump's team on behalf of the Russian officials." 7/27/18 Email,
Erchova to Special Counsel's Office. The email claimed that the officials wanted to offer candidate Trump
"land in Crimea among other things and unofficial meeting with Putin." Id. In order to vet the email's
claims, the Office responded requesting more details. The Office did not receive any reply.
339 11/18/15 Email, Cohen to Klokov (7:15 a.m.).
340 11/18/15 Email, Klokov to Cohen (6:51 a.m.).
341 11/18/15 Email, Klokov to Cohen (6:51 a.m.) ("I would suggest separating your negotiations
and our proposal to meet. I assure you, after the meeting level of projects and their capacity can be
completely different, having the most important support.").
Putin wasn't interested in concealing the meeting with Trump and he didn't want to mix business with campaign planning.
342 11/19/15 Email, Klokov to Cohen (7:40 a.m.).
343 11/19/15 Email, Cohen to Klokov (12:56 p.m.).
344 Cohen 9/18/18 302, at 12.
continued in next entry - thank you
