**Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 72: Trump Tower Moscow Lies**

Donald Trump spent years claiming he had “no business dealings” in Russia. But behind the scenes, during the 2016 presidential campaign, his team was **actively negotiating a massive real estate project**: **Trump Tower Moscow**.

The deal promised Trump **hundreds of millions of dollars** and would have required approval from **Vladimir Putin’s government**. While voters were being told there were “no contacts” with Russia, Trump’s personal attorney **Michael Cohen** and fixer **Felix Sater** were deep in talks with Russian officials.

Emails and testimony revealed that Trump personally **signed off** on key updates and even discussed offering **Putin a \$50 million penthouse** to sweeten the deal. In January 2016, Cohen reached out directly to **Dmitry Peskov**, Putin’s press secretary, hoping to speed up approvals.

As the campaign heated up, Trump **repeatedly denied** any Russian ties. But in reality, negotiations continued until at least **June 2016**—the same month as the infamous **Trump Tower meeting** with Russians promising “dirt” on Hillary Clinton.

Then came the cover-up. When the story broke, Trump ordered Cohen to **lie to Congress** about when talks ended, instructing him to claim they stopped in **January 2016**—a full five months earlier than they actually did.

This lie became a central focus of **Robert Mueller’s investigation**. Cohen later testified under oath that he lied “out of loyalty” and because Trump “made it clear” that **the truth would damage his campaign**.

The Trump Tower Moscow scandal exposed a president **willing to mislead the American people** about conflicts of interest, potential foreign leverage, and his secret financial motivations—all while asking voters to trust him to put “America First.”

Next up: **Episode 73 – WikiLeaks Coordination**.