International news platform, CNN has leaked some documents linking Donald Trump with Russia.
US President-Elect, Donald Trump
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to have better relations
with Russia. He's repeatedly stuck up for Russian President Vladimir
Putin. And after weeks of side-stepping, Trump finally admitted
Wednesday that Russia was responsible for hacking ahead of the election.
But he denied he has any financial links to the country.
1. Miss Universe Moscow
In 2013 Trump made millions when he partnered with Russian billionaire Aras Agalarov to host Miss Universe in Moscow.
2. Trump Tower Moscow
An attempt to build a Trump Tower in Moscow fell through before it
began. CNN didn't find any projects that were actually completed in
Russia.
In a 2007 deposition, Trump was asked about the proposal for the project.
"It was a Trump International Hotel and Tower. It would be a
nonexclusive deal, so it would not have precluded me from doing other
deals in Moscow, which was very important to me."
3. Trump Vodka
Trump put down no money, slapped his name on a brand and claimed
royalties. Drinks Americas Holdings actually made the vodka. However,
the company's former CEO told CNNMoney they didn't make much headway
into the Russian market.
All they got was a single deal to sell 8,000 cases of vodka, a
fraction of the 100,000 cases they sold worldwide. There's no evidence
that it's still being sold.
The real value, however, was the photo-op.
"If you can sell vodka made in the Netherlands to Russians in
gold bottles with 'Trump' on them, and wealthy Russians think this is
good vodka, this is a marketing coup," said Patrick Kenny, former CEO of Drinks Americas Holdings.
4. Palm Beach mansion sale
Trump sold a mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev for $95 million.
5. "Russians" investing in Trump
In 2008, Donald Trump Jr. said Trump's businesses "see a lot of money pouring in from Russia."
"And in terms of high-end product influx into the US, Russians make
up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets; say
in Dubai, and certainly with our project in SoHo and anywhere in New
York. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia. There's indeed a lot
of money coming for new-builds and resale reflecting a trend in the
Russian economy and, of course, the weak dollar versus the ruble," he
said.
6. Trademarks
Trump hired the law firm Sojuzpatent to file at least eight
trademarks in Russia between 1996 and 2008, including "Trump," "Trump
Home" and "Trump Tower."
7. The Bayrock Group
Trump partnered with the Bayrock Group, a company run by Soviet
immigrants, and according to a lawsuit filed, financed by Russian and
Kazakhstan money. Together, they developed Trump properties in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, and New York.
They also planned on opening a Trump Tower in Moscow. However,
Trump said in a deposition that the plan fell through after media
reports began questioning Trump's net worth. The partners with Russian
ties in the United States backed out.
8. Paul Manafort
Trump's ties to Russia go beyond business deals. His former
campaign manager, Paul Manafort, had connections with Russia that go
much deeper, including to Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's former president
who fled the country. Yanukovych, who is now in Russia, "called upon
Vladimir Putin to send
Russian troops into Ukraine," according to a White House statement.
Manafort's company, Davis Manafort International LLC, retained
Edelman to work on "Yanukovych's visibility in the US and Europe."
A lawsuit filed by Ukraine's former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko
describes Manafort as a "key adviser to President Yanukovich and other
Ukraine political figures since approximately 2003."
- CNN
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