Trump Lawyers Say He Had No Russian Income or Debt, With Some Exceptions -
By MARK LANDLER and ERIC LIPTONMAY 12, 2017
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s lawyers say his income tax returns do not show income from Russian sources or debt owed to Russians, with the exception of $95 million paid by a Russian billionaire for a Trump-owned estate in Florida
and $12.2 million in payments in connection with holding the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013.
“Much of what we need to know about Trump and Russian money — and
that includes money from Kazakhstan, Turkey and other places where Russian oligarchs operate — involves transactions prior to 10 years ago.”
Still, the details in the letter are generally consistent with what Mr. Trump’s sons, Eric
and Donald Jr., have said in recent interviews regarding income associated with Russian entities.
It leaves other questions unanswered, including whether Mr. Trump or his firms received Russian income or loans from entities
registered elsewhere or whether he derived income from Russian-linked partnerships that file their own returns.
The president referred to the Florida estate and the Miss Universe pageant in the interview,
but said the letter — “from one of the most prestigious law firms in the country” — demonstrated “that I have nothing to do with Russia
Mr. Trump’s sons also acknowledged that wealthy Russians were often bidders on Trump Organization condominiums, in apparent contrast to the lawyers’ statement
that any other Russian income from real estate sales was immaterial.
