Page:Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election.pdf/80

 : I think I can get Putin to say that at the Trump Moscow press conference,
 * If he says it we own this election. Americas most difficult adversary agreeing that Donald is a good guy to negotiate. . ..
 * We can own this election.
 * Michael my next steps are very sensitive with Putins very very close people, we can pull this off.
 * Michael lets go. 2 boys from Brooklyn getting a USA president elected. This is good really good.

According to Cohen, he did not consider the political import of the Trump Moscow project to the 2016 U.S. presidential election at the time. Cohen also did not recall candidate Trump or anyone affiliated with the Trump Campaign discussing the political implications of the Trump Moscow project with him. However, Cohen recalled conversations with Trump in which the candidate suggested that his campaign would be a significant "infomercial" for Trump-branded properties.


 * ii. Post-LOI Contacts with Individuals in Russia

Given the size of the Trump Moscow project, Sater and Cohen believed the project required approval (whether express or implicit) from the Russian national government, including from the Presidential Administration of Russia. Sater stated that he therefore began to contact the Presidential Administration through another Russian business contact. In early negotiations with the Trump Organization, Sater had alluded to the need for government approval and his attempts to set up meetings with Russian officials. On October 12, 2015, for example, Sater wrote to Cohen that "all we need is Putin on board and we are golden," and that a "meeting with Putin and top deputy is tentatively set for the 14th [of October]."

this meeting was being coordinated by associates in Russia and that he had no direct interaction with the Russian government.

Approximately a month later, after the LOI had been signed, Lana Erchova emailed Ivanka Trump on behalf of Erchova's then-husband Dmitry Klokov, to offer Klokov's assistance to the Trump Campaign. Klokov was at that time Director of External Communications for PJSC Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System, a large Russian electricity transmission