Special counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted report, released Thursday, refers to the allegedly compromising material the Russian government was rumored to have on President Donald Trump — apparently about the infamous alleged pee tape — in a single footnote on pages 27 and 28.

According to Mueller’s report, Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, received a text on Oct. 30, 2016, from Giorgi Rtskhiladze — who the report described as a "Russian businessman" — who was involved in a deal with the Trump organization to build a Trump Tower in Batumi, Georgia. Rtskhiladze is Georgian, his spokesperson told BuzzFeed News.

Rtskhiladze’s text to Cohen said, “Stopped flow of tapes from Russia but not sure if there's anything else. Just so you know..."

Rtskhiladze told investigators last year that the "tapes" referred to “compromising tapes of Trump rumored to be held by persons associated with the Russian real estate conglomerate Crocus Group, which had helped host the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant in Russia,” according to the report.

Cohen told investigators that he spoke to Trump “about the issue” after receiving Rtskhiladze’s texts in 2016.

The report says that then–FBI director James Comey had also briefed President-elect Trump in January 2017 about the allegations of compromising material held by Russian authorities.

Rtskhiladze later told investigators that he had been told the tapes were fake — but that he did not communicate that to Cohen.

Melanie A. Bonvicino, a spokesperson for Rtskhiladze, told BuzzFeed News in a statement on Monday that the "incomplete text exchange" between Rtskhiladze and Cohen referenced in the Mueller report "was based on 'rumours only.'"

"My client Georgian / American businessman Giorgi Rtskhiladze is presently addressing the false, inaccurate, 'highly damaging' and misleading characterizations made about him in an incomplete footnote 112 (part 2, page 27) of the Mueller report, and in subsequent media accounts," the statement said. "We continue to urge media to refrain from further reporting on this matter, until such time as a full accounting of the text message exchange between him and Michael Cohen shall be made available for publication."

The statement added that "the incomplete text exchange referenced in the Mueller report (between the parties) was based on 'rumours' only, and has no factual basis."

In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General William Barr on April 23, Rtskhiladze's lawyer demanded an immediate retraction of the footnote, stating that it contained "gross misstatements" and "glaring inaccuracies."

The attorney provided Barr with screenshots of additional text messages exchanged between Cohen and Rtskhiladze about the alleged tapes, stating that the Mueller report's characterization of their conversation was "salacious" and "wholly misleading."



A spokesperson for the Crocus group told BuzzFeed News, "Unfortunately​ we haven't any information about these 'tapes,' so can't give you any response."