Donald Trump is right that he has no deals in Russia. But it's not because he didn't try.
President-elect Donald Trump has stressed that he has "nothing to do with Russia," but that isn't, strictly speaking, true. Trump has pursued business interests in the nation since as far back as 1987, and continually over the years since, The New York Times reports.
"I really prefer Moscow over all cities in the world," Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., said in 2008, adding that he had visited Russia a half-dozen times in 18 months. Don Jr. and his siblings, Eric and Ivanka Trump, have made several visits to the nation on their father's behalf over the years.
Trump himself long pursued construction of a "Trump Tower Moscow," failing to have the deal come to fruition; Trump Jr. called Russia a "scary place" to businesses because of legal complications as well as rampant corruption. But that doesn't mean Trump hasn't repeatedly attempted to get a foothold elsewhere:
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Alan Garten, the general counsel for the Trump Organization, explained to the Times that Trump's assertion that he has "stayed away" from Russia is true due to the fact that none of the business deals ever took root. See a full timeline of Trump's attempted dealings with Russia at The New York Times.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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