Mueller probe questions Ivanka and Don Jr's role in Trump Tower Moscow scheme
Robert Mueller's investigation into Donald Trump's plans to build a Trump Tower Moscow has led the Special Counsel to question the role Ivanka and Don Jr played in trying to secure a Russian real estate deal, reports Hunter Walker at Yahoo News.
That same deal involved a $50 Million penthouse for Putin. Michael Cohen flipped, this is a big thing, and it may end up being the President's undoing.
From the Yahoo News exclusive:
Mueller's interest in the Trump family real estate company's Russia skyscraper plans was confirmed on Thursday when Michael Cohen, the president's former attorney and fixer, pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the proposed deal. In charging documents, Mueller said Cohen falsely claimed the effort to build a Trump Tower Moscow "ended in January 2016" in an attempt to "minimize" links between Trump and the project and to "give the false impression" the effort ended prior to the Republican primaries in 2016. Yahoo News first reported in May that congressional investigators had obtained text messages and emails showing Cohen's work on Trump Tower Moscow went on for longer than he admitted under oath.
But Cohen wasn't the only person at the Trump Organization who was pursuing deals to build a skyscraper in the Russian capital. Multiple sources have confirmed to Yahoo News that the president's oldest daughter, Ivanka, who is now a top White House adviser, and his oldest son, Don Jr. were also working to make Trump Tower Moscow a reality. The sources said those efforts were independent of Cohen's work on a project. One of the sources said Ivanka was also involved in Cohen's efforts. And a separate source familiar with the investigation told Yahoo News that Mueller has asked questions about Ivanka and Don Jr.'s work on Trump Tower Moscow.
Mueller's charging documents against Cohen included a line that described the Trump family's involvement in the project. According to Mueller, one of the things Cohen lied about was that he "briefed family members" of Trump's who worked at the Trump Organization about the proposed Moscow skyscraper. Prior to joining the White House, Ivanka was an executive at the company. Don Jr. and his middle son, Eric, remain with the Trump Organization.
Neither the special counsel's office nor Cohen and his attorney would respond to Yahoo News's requests for comment, nor did lawyers representing the president.
Donald Trump talks to reporters as he departs on travel to Argentina from the White House in Washington, U.S., November 29, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst