In an interview published Friday, the day the intelligence community released a report on Russian hacking, President-elect Donald Trump's son Eric Trump admitted that now might not be the best time for the Trump Organization to pursue business opportunities in Russia. Eric, of course, didn't cite Russia's meddling in the U.S. presidential election as a reason for the company's decision, but rather cast it as a matter of timing. "For years we've looked at deals in Russia and we've never become comfortable with any of the deals that we've seen. Is there a possibility sometime in the next 20 or 30 years we end up in Russia? Absolutely. Is it right for us right now? Probably not," Eric, who is taking over his father's businesses with his brother Donald Trump Jr., told Argentina's La Nacion in Uruguay last week.
"We don't have any business interests in Russia," Eric added. "We don't spend much time there at all." Surprising, given the Trump Organization's attempt to build a Trump Tower in Moscow in 2005, and his brother Donald's assessment in 2008 that they "see a lot of money pouring in from Russia."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.