Following Michael Cohen’s guilty plea for lying to Congress, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly pivoted to investigating President Trump’s children, Ivanka and Donald Jr., for their role in trying to secure a Trump Tower in Moscow.
Cohen testified that talks pertaining to a real estate deal in Moscow had “ended in January 2016,” but in reality continued into June of that year.
Yahoo News reports that multiple sources confirm both Trump Jr., and First Daughter Ivanka, a top White House adviser, “were also working to make Trump Tower Moscow a reality” years earlier in separate projects, in 2013.
Mueller’s court documents against Cohen seem to reference the Trump children’s involvement in the later Moscow project.
From the court docs, per CNN: The Trump Tower Moscow negotiations went on through June 2016. The deal was discussed more than 3 times with Trump. Cohen briefed Trump’s family members within the org & took steps in contemplation of Trump’s possible travel to Russia in 2016.
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) November 29, 2018
So far, Don Jr. said he was “peripherally aware” of the later Moscow project, but no other news is currently available.
Is Ivanka a broader target for Mueller now?
Donald Trump Jr. has been rumored to be a target of the Special Counsel for some time, for a variety of reasons. But Ivanka getting the spotlight now reeks of desperation for Mueller who needs a scalp in this ridiculous Russia collusion investigation.
Yahoo notes that the Trump Organization, at which Ivanka was an executive at the time of the Moscow real estate talks, was legally able to conduct business in Russia right up until their father’s inauguration.
The President himself has laid stake to that claim.
“When I’m running for president that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to do business,” Trump stated to reporters, correctly alluding to the fact that he was still a civilian at the time and very well could have been after Election Day in 2016.
It should be noted that former President Bill Clinton was conducting financially lucrative business transactions in Moscow while his wife, Hillary Clinton, was a public servant as Secretary of State.
The new report does add that Mueller’s inquiries “about Ivanka and Don Jr.’s work on Trump Tower Moscow does not mean they are targets of his investigation.”
But it surely indicates an attempt to find something on the two.
Mueller trying to ruin the entire Trump family https://t.co/iLbgCGDIPE
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) November 30, 2018
Indeed, he is.
The Mueller probe is still a giant nothingburger
As noted here, the Moscow Trump Tower story isn’t news. CNN had reported on documents referencing the plans back in September of 2017.
The Yahoo source explained that colleagues remain rather confused as to why Cohen would have lied about discussing it with Don Jr. and Ivanka to Congress.
“We’re so perplexed Cohen would lie about briefing them, because no one’s ever disputed that they knew he was looking at it,” they claimed.
Then there’s the ever-present fact that the Moscow tower never actually happened.
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). 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…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2018
….Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia. Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn’t do the project. Witch Hunt!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2018
It would appear the media is simply hoping, like “The View’s” Joy Behar, that Mueller will find something, anything on the Trump children.