'False and wholly unsubstantiated': Trump's lawyer pushes back on Steele dossier allegations amid Russia firestorm

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August 31, 2017 12:57 AM

Trump's longtime lawyer "vehemently" disputed the allegations made against him in an explosive and unverified Trump-Russia dossier.

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer, submitted a letter to Congress disputing allegations made against him in an explosive and unverified 35-page dossier which claims that Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia to tilt the 2016 election in his favor.

The dossier, compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele, paints Cohen as a central figure in the Trump-Russia controversy, alleging that he was a key player in "the ongoing secret liaison relationship between the New York tycoon's campaign and the Russian leadership." It also alleges that he secretly met with Kremlin officials in Prague last August, at the height of the presidential campaign.

Cohen's name has repeatedly cropped up in the news as special counsel Robert Mueller and congressional intelligence committees investigate whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow during last year's election. Cohen again made headlines on Tuesday when it emerged that he emailed Dmitry Peskov, a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, last January during the campaign requesting his "assistance" in securing a real-estate deal to secure a Trump Tower location in Moscow.

The email represents the clearest interaction reported thus far between a senior Trump adviser and a member of the Russian government.

"Over the past few months I have been working with a company based in Russia regarding the development of a Trump Tower - Moscow project in Moscow City," Cohen wrote to Peskov, according to The Washington Post. "Without getting into lengthy specifics the communication between our two sides has stalled."

Cohen continued: "As this project is too important, I am hereby requesting your assistance. I respectfully request someone, preferably you, contact me so that I might discuss the specifics as well as arranging meetings with the appropriate individuals. I thank you in advance for your assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon."

Cohen was also in touch with Felix Sater, a Russian-born businessman and a real-estate adviser to Trump who first pushed for the Trump Organization to pursue a Trump Tower deal in Moscow in late 2015, when Trump was a presidential candidate.

Talking Points Memo

Natasha Bertrand contributed reporting.

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