Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr.’s involvement in plans to construct a Trump real estate property in Moscow, according to a report.
Yahoo News cites one unnamed source saying that Don Jr. and Ivanka separately pursued deals to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, both of which ended by 2013, “years earlier” than former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s efforts to bring a Trump property to the Russian capital.
Yahoo News states Cohen’s efforts to bring a Trump property to Russia were known to the two Trump children, with Don Jr. only possessing minor knowledge of the potential deal.
“They were not looking at any other deals after that,” the unnamed source told the outlet. “Michael was looking at that deal. Don and Ivanka knew about it and Don testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that he was peripherally aware of it.”
“That’s why we’re so perplexed Cohen would lie about briefing them, because no one’s ever disputed that they knew he was looking at it,” the source added.
Don Jr. and Ivanka have yet to comment publicly on the report.
News of the Trump children’s limited involvement in deal comes after Cohen plead guilty in a federal court Thursday for making false statements to congressional investigators about the timeline regarding a deal to build a Trump property in Moscow. Cohen admitted he lied to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in 2017, claiming before lawmakers that the project was dropped by January 2016 — not the true June 2016 date.
Before departing for the Group of 20 summit in Argentina, President Donald Trump criticized Cohen’s plea agreement and defended mulling plans to build the Moscow tower.
“When I’m running for president that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to do business,” the president told reporters on the White House lawn, adding that Cohen was both a “weak person and not a very smart person.”
On Friday, President Trump fired off a pair of tweets criticizing reports that he may have engaged in wrongdoing by looking at business deals before securing the Republican presidential nomination.
“Oh, I get it! I am a very good developer, happily living my life, when I see our Country going in the wrong direction (to put it mildly),” the president wrote. “Against all odds, I decide to run for President & continue to run my business-very legal & very cool, talked about it on the campaign trail.”
“Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia,” he added. “Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn’t do the project. Witch Hunt!”