Trump associate who proposed building Trump Tower in Moscow will testify to Congress

A former real estate partner of President Trump's has agreed to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about Trump's business in Russia, Talking Points Memo reported Thursday. The businessman, Felix Sater, seems to think his testimony will be quite the surprise, too: In a text to Talking Points Memo, he said, "I hope you make the trip to witness it in person because I don't think it's going to go the way of everyone's favorite narrative."
On Wednesday, McClatchy reported that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) had requested that Sater appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee this month and provide documents related to Trump's business connections to Russia. In November 2015, Sater sent Trump lawyer Michael Cohen an email promising that the construction of a Trump Tower in Moscow would help Trump's candidacy, The New York Times reported. "Our boy can become president of the U.S.A. and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putin's team to buy in on this," Sater wrote.
Between 2002 and 2010, Trump partnered with Sater's real estate company, Bayrock, and lent his name to several of their developments. Trump, he of an "all-time" great memory, has claimed to not be familiar with Sater and said under deposition in 2013 that "if he were sitting in the room right now, I really wouldn't know what he looked like."
Subscribe to 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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
Amazon's 'James Bond' deal could mean a new future for 007
In the Spotlight The franchise was previously owned by the Broccoli family
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Why are Republicans suddenly panicking about DOGE?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As Trump and Musk take a chainsaw to the federal government, a growing number of Republicans worry that the massive cuts are hitting a little too close to home
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What is JD Vance's Net Worth?
In Depth The vice president is rich, but not nearly as wealthy as his boss and many of his boss' appointees
By David Faris Published
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?
Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published